Paul Manafort who is Trump's bestie but still in jail is the ripoff king of Ukraine. Prior to the election, he and Trump spent hours together plotting the pillaging of Ukraine. Just ask Manaforts daughter.
12
If they are smart they should keep out of it.
2
I didnt like Biden as a candidate anyway - so the point that he may be out of the running because of the “appearance” of impropriety is moot.
Of course the fact that Trump is a LIAR, racist, rapist, TRAITOR, draft dodger, tax cheat, and thief, and unfit to be president hasnt’t diminished his support with the morally bankrupt republicans. I think he would have to be dead and buried before they will decide not to support him.
10
"Ukraine to Review Criminal Case of Firm Linked to Biden's Son"
What a misleading headline. Once again, the NY Times has handed to trump and his propaganda team exactly what they wanted: a headline that deflects unnecessary attention onto the Bidens, and away from Trump's clear criminality. Many people won't read the actual article... the Times knows this. Without mentioning anything else in article, pro-trump lackeys will use the headline to insinuate that the Bidens are being investigated, when in fact, that isn't the case. They'll gloat and crow about Trump's vindication, even as he continues to openly flout the law.
14
The Biden campaign is not just TOAST it is BURNT TOAST!
5
While the Ukrainians are at why not look into any criminal conspiracy corruption bribery and fraud by Trump, Kushner, Mnuchin, Ross, Kudlow, DeVos, Azar and Mrs Addison Mitchell McConnell,Jr ?
14
'“I’d like you to do us a favor, though.”'
Done. Moving on… .
2
Trump must keep his dozy audience awake, woken and ready to vote for the carnival barker with a series of well-timed firecrackers. The colourful explosive rockets aimed at Biden and his hapless offspring are just more of the same.
Trump is shameless. Trump voters are shameless. That the House of Trump is more nepotistic than the House of Saud will not bother the typical Trump voter.
According to the Guardian's Mona Chalabi in March 2017, when the World Economic Forum scored countries for nepotism in 2006-07, the USA came 63 out of 125. (1,2,3)
Trump is in good company. The USA has a long history of nepotistic appointments by US presidents going back to John Adams (4), thus:
'John Quincy Adams, son of second United States President John Adams, served as secretary for his father during the negotiations of the Treaty of Paris, ending in 1783. His father also appointed him to the position of minister to Prussia in 1797. This led to a long political career, eventually resulting in John Quincy Adams serving as president from 1825 to 1829.'
1. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/24/nepotism-data-ivanka-trump
2. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEXPCOMNET/Resources/1.29_Impact_of_Nepotism.pdf
3. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2006-07.pdf
4. https://m.ranker.com/list/us-presidents-who-gave-jobs-to-family-members/sarah-blumert
1
By Ukraine moving ahead Trump must feel it makes him look innocent. And he's right. He's gotten away with murder and the Dems can't stop him... What did he say about walking down fifth Ave with a knife in his hand...?
1
The headline to and subsequent text witin this article should read,"Ukraine to revive investigation VP Biden requested."
11
Gotta have something to get in the game, you know.
Z seems to have quite a sense of humor - or maybe he senses something in common with 'Merikkka's clown.
Joe Biden and his son Hunter must appear before Congress and answer questions regarding Hunter $50,000/month payments. We must follow the money and ask what did the Ukrainian gas company buy ?
10
I'm seriously disappointed in the headline run with this story. There is currently an active disinformation campaign being run against Joe and Hunter Biden, and the Ukrainians are obviously taking great pains to try to avoid getting embroiled in US political fights while simultaneously fighting for their very existence as a country.
This headline, containing the phrase "criminal case" as well as directly mentioning Biden feeds directly into that disinformation campaign. I fully expect Trump and his minions to be proudly blasting it all over right-wing media as if it's some kind of exoneration for their activities of late. And do you think their viewers and readers will take the time to understand that there is currently zero connection between the things that this headline clearly insinuates are connected? Will they read further down to see that the prosecutor said that he has "no such information" that Hunter Biden was involved in any wrongdoing?
Or will they simply point at the headline and yell, "See? We told you there was something here!"?
Normally I highly respect the New York Times for its objective coverage of the news. And I'm not criticizing their decision to post this article; it is news. But this headline is in severe need of rewriting to better reflect the actual situation and not do the right-wing's dirty work of misleading people into thinking that Biden is involved in some sort of malfeasance in the Ukraine.
7
The smear continues. Next Kenya will altar its country's birth records to support Trump lies.
Any country that caves to Trymp's extortion is now an enemy of American democracy.
There are lies, lies,m, and Trump lies. Every time I think I cannot despise him more, he does something worse, now with other countries supporting him.
7
Why would a Ukrainian gas company pay the drug impaired son of Vice President Biden $59,000 per month for 8 years ? What did they get for their money ?
11
Ukraine helps Trump by feeding the amibiguity. That's all he needs to keep claiming there's fire under the smoke.
2
If we are going to allow Ukraine and China to investigate a politician's son for an unspecified crime why not let the World Court prosecute George W., Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and John Yoo (who wrote the "torture memos" for the Bush administration) for crimes against humanity!
5
How funny would it be if trump gets impeached for being corrupt and Biden is in the lead but we find out that he and his son actually are corrupt too. American civil society is in such shreds recently that I wouldn’t be surprised if all presidential candidates are criminals!
5
Ukraine can't afford to ignore Trump's desires. He has already held up urgently needed military funds once this year. It's still wrong though and they all know it.
2
This mess is interesting. DJT wants the American people to believe that the Ukraine and not the Russians was the cause of the 2016 hack of the DNC and other DNC related issues. Well, if one were to follow that logic, then one would concluded that the Russians and DJT are and were cahoots in the 2016 email hacks and 'dirty tricks'. After all what was in it for Ukraine or Russia if DJT would have been elected, versus Mrs. Clinton. Well, let's see. To me it feels like a win-win situation. The Obama administration refused to provide certain military equipment to the Ukraine. If the goal here was to gain access to that US military equipment, then aside from having a pro Russian/Ukraine president, i.e., DJT it would be immaterial if it was thanks to the Ukraine or via Russian influence which accomplished that goal.
In conclusion, just apply the DJT conspiracy theory and take it to its logical conclusion. Next, answer the following question: Aside from DJT and the Republican Party, who benefits from DJT being elected in 2016 and 2020?
OMG.... So this is how things will be now.... The prosecutors will be reviewing and solving things from the previous administrations...
What will be next? Benghazi?
How about Trump and his family's PAST BANKRUPTCIES and UNPAID taxes?
I mean if we really want to fight corruption.....
Just saying...
6
Judging by the number of comments on here calling for Biden to step down, posted by people claiming to be Democrats, it would appear that Trump's plan to use foreign influence to sow division among us is already playing out in real-time. The false equivalencies are already starting to have the intended effect of dissuading people from voting, should Biden win the primary.
Biden may or may not be my first choice (I haven't decided yet), but I'm not going to let Trump's dirty political games influence my decision. Let's not lose sight of where the true corruption lies. It lies with trump and his GOP lackeys.
A Democratic win in 2020, no matter who the candidate is, is a step in the more preferable direction for our country ... far better than the alternative direction this country could go in if trump and his regressive Republicans retain power for another 4 years.
Trump has signaled that he'll sink to all new lows to avoid losing power in 2020. With Barr's justice department now acting like trump's personal lawyer, desperate times call for desperate measures. We must unite and vote Blue in 2020 (no matter who), up and down the ticket, and in numbers too large to manipulate. Whether he's your preferred candidate or not, Joe Biden is right ... the 2020 elections will be for the "soul of our country".
7
“The prosecution service is beyond politics.” But not beyond keeping USA financial aid. It is the economy, not politics. I see now. I hope Ukrainians also see. I hope my fellow Americans in the Senate also see.
The investigative actions of the former corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor are now going to be audited by the current corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor. Whether this represents a step forward depends on one's assessment that the current corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor is in fact somewhat less corrupt than his predecessor. The one thing that is absolutely clear is that there will be no rush to complete this review before November, 2020, with just enough visible progress being made to keep Mafia Don from going ballistic, either literally or figuratively.
Whether all this hurts or helps the Biden candidacy is a matter of speculation. There is surely no doubt that young Hunter only got the Ukrainian gig because his father was then Obama's VP. There is also no doubt that Joe saw the danger lurking in the arrangement and kept clear of any compromising involvement. Hiring someone like Hunter can be seen as a good investment simply on the grounds of boosting a firm's credibility and public image, with no need for or expectation of illegal insider manipulations.
But the entire arrangement of an unqualified child of a politically powerful white man cashing in on his privileged connection has an unsavory odor about it, even if the specifics are impeccably proper. On the flip side, becoming the prime target of the evil autocrat Trump burnishes Joe Biden's image as the heavyweight in the Democratic race. It will be instructive to see which perception ends up having the greater public impact.
6
This announcement to reinvestigate cases that were closed seems a little too coincidental to the impeachment inquiry. Is Ukraine trying to justify Trump's treason by finding dirt on his political opponents--in a very clumsy way? It will not matter. Trump's solicitation is all that is needed for impeachment--just like his call to the Australian PM and to China and of course his ongoing obstruction of justice and interference with a congressional investigation.
2
Has anyone seen a story that tallies up all the business deals that Trump and his family have made since running for office?
A link would be most appreciated.
4
Next up, the Democrats will form alliances with other countries to "investigate" Republicans. The US should really consider splitting in half since it is becoming more and more obvious that you really are no long a single country but two joined together by history and constantly in an escalating state of war and distrust. This constant war is preventing both parts of the country from getting anything done. Time to get divorced.
Let each state vote which way to go once and then just form new single party governments in those regions and move on.
If you’re the president of Ukraine, you’re between a gas line and a missile. You have Putin encroaching on your country to grab the oil access to Europe...and Trump dangling missiles in exchange for campaign dirt(illegal). If you’re Zelensky, you’re going to do what you have to do, to literally keep the peace.
But what about this Hunter Biden business? It tells me, our political candidates and their direct relatives should have nothing to do with investments in foreign governments. There’s just too much opportunity for bribery, extortion, slander and many other things that distract from the priorities of the United States.
We have to unwind Citizens United from our elections & lobbying; and this episode with Ukraine seems to indicate we need to keep American political families investing in America.
3
There can be only one reason why Ukraine has decided to re-open what has previously been 'case closed' by the previous prosecutors.
Sorry Ukraine, but literally anything you come up with now against the Bidens will be forever suspect.
2
What is most disturbing are the many comments untethered from fact and fed by disinformation. What is abundantly clear is that every country now knows that the integrity of our foreign policy and elections are up for sale and/or jeopardized by any foreign power so inclined. Trump has truly degraded the rule of law, patriotism, and our democratic republic. A tragic time. Putin has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
3
I understand why political opponents spin bad press about Joe Biden, but objectively there is no evidence of corrupt dealings. Nothing has been offered by Joe Biden’s critics, only justification of suspicion. No facts. Giuliani waves meaningless paperwork around during interviews. VP Biden did not work alone in Ukraine; there was an international team working in a joint effort. Do these conspiracists believe that a team of diplomats was working for Hunter Biden’s personal enrichment? It is absurd. I can understand raised eyebrows but well connected people get high paying jobs all the time. Do we like it? No, but it doesn’t automatically mean that there is corruption. Joe Biden is a life long public servant with no history of scandal, only personal tragedy. Lindsay Graham calls him a friend, then disgracefully questioned his integrity. Is Joe Biden responsible for his son’s career decisions? Who is Donald Trump to question Joe Biden’s judgement, anyway? Our president believes any far right wack job conspiracy.
Speaking of self enrichment: my guess is that what Hunter Biden made in these international deals is peanuts compared to how much the Trump family business is profiting from the presidency. Show us the tax returns! These accusations are beyond absurd coming from a man who is clearly only concerned with self-enrichment and is in his element dealing with corrupt leaders. Donald Trump and his minions are taking us further down the rabbit hole.
5
Ukraine gets aid from EU and IMF. The investigation must be done, with objective evidence, while the world watches.
Zelensky, son of a computer professor father and an engineer mother, is per wiki "a Ukrainian actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer, director, and politician ---with a law degree. He played the leader of Ukraine in a TV series.
What jokes and creative scripts could he think up for this situation now?
What legal principles?
3
There's your quid pro quo. Trump wanted an investigation and he got it. Ukraine got their money. The fact that Ukraine is doing this is all the proof you need that Trump had them over a barrel. That's corruption Trump style. He claims all he was interested in was reducing corruption in Ukraine and then he asks them to do something corrupt. Not great again.
6
In a way, as a Democrat, I'm glad this came out now, not after the Democratic Party's nominee has been selected.
9
I don’t buy that Joe has the best chance to beat Trump. Too bad Trump had to get rid of Biden. A preferred way would have been for Democrats to do it themselves.
My prediction is that neither Trump nor Biden will decide the 2020 election.
6
To those who've bought into the manufactured accusations against Biden, let's walk through this:
The prosecutor who Joe Biden asked be dismissed, Shokin, was let go because he wasn't doing enough to prosecute corruption. In addition, the investigation into the company that Hunter Biden was on the board of was dropped by Shokin long before Joe Biden and others, as part of an international coalition, called for Shokin's dismissal.
It should be noted that Biden wasn't the only one asking for Shokin's dismissal -- there was universal consensus that he should be replaced by a more aggressive prosecutor. If Hunter Biden was actually engaged in any wrongdoing, he would've been in MORE danger of being prosecuted thanks to his father's actions, given that the new prosecutor Biden was pushing for was way more pro-active in rooting out corruption wherever it occurred.
This highlights the ludicrousy of the charges that trump and Guilianni have been pressuring foreign governments to fabricate against Biden.
Also, all this manufactured outrage over Hunter Biden taking a high paying "no-show" type of job is total nonsense, given the grifting of Trump's kids and Jared, who get way more $$ for doing nothing.
The trump-up charges against Biden are another false equivalence to deflect from Trump's clear criminality. Judging from the anti-Biden comments posted by those claiming to be Democrats, it appears Trump's plan to use foreign influence to sow discord & discourage voting is working.
12
You're preaching to the choir, Reverend. It's the crowd that listens to the screaming heads on Fox News that you have to convince, and they ain't here.
2
In fact, the quid pro quo argument aside, the Ukrainian government may investigate whom it wishes. Trump engaged in admittedly illegal interactions with the Ukraine and others, publicly. He must be impeached. Biden's candidacy is shaken and will remain so. The DNC has a problem.
1
I’ve never thought Biden was ever going to be the nominee.
I don’t see that as any problem for the DNC.
3
How come no one is concerned about what the Trump Kids have done. The influence peddling. Profiting from forcing foreign visitors to stay at a Trump Hotel, etc., etc., etc. Maybe we need to have other foreign nations investigate them?
16
The longer the Ukraine investigation drags on, the longer Trump can say, Biden is still under investigation.
When you think you have seen the absolute worst of Trump, it's time to remember that he could not do any of this without the republican senate.
13
The Pelosi Schumer democrats, aka the Republican-Lite Party, if they cared at all for our Democracy, should be engaged in having Biden step aside, and throw their support behind either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.
Biden is finished, in fact he never should have become the public face of the Democratic Party, but of course those greedy Dems, they simply must try and try again to bamboozle the American people; one would think they might have learned something from the Clinton fiasco, but no, they just love bathing in all that corporate money their corporate masters and wealthiest donors keep throwing at them.
If they don't get it together real soon, Trump will easily coast into his second term; perhaps they are his silent partners ...
6
@Mel Farrell I would love to see your proof of what you allege about the Dems, versus the Republicans.
If you're in the awkward position Ukraine has been placed by the criminal gang in the White House, this announcement by its chief prosecutor should surprise no one. Ukraine has not said it plans any investigation of Hunter Biden or his father .. and as the world knows by now of course, there is nothing to investigate in that regard. But nor have they said they won't be investigating the Bidens.
In other words they've opted for a balancing act. In stating that any investigation will take a long time, they are simply buying time to see how this whole impeachment thing goes. By the time they commit themselves one way or the other, they will know whether they'll be dealing with the same extortionist thug or some new political reality in Washington.
Their hope of course is that Trump will be gone. They hope that at worst they'd be dealing with Pence for the balance of this term and at best they'd be dealing with Pelosi. And no doubt they're optimistic that, after 2020, they'd be dealing with a government - even a Biden government - that is not engaged in any treasonous conspiracy with Ukraine's enemy and greatest threat to its security.
If things evolve that way - and we can only hope they do - then they can clarify this announcement to say they never had any intention of investigating the Bidens but rather the company Hunter Biden had urged be investigated.
If the worst happens and Trump eludes accountability .. well let's not go there; it's too depressing.
4
Like most investigators I do not believe in coincidences. In this case I suspect that there is more than a strand of hair connecting this action with the Trump “military aid blackmail”. Ukraine’s draining of its swamp is similar to America’s, do what you need to get what you need and suspend all morals. When all is said and done Moscow will take back the rest of Ukraine when America is so politically divided it will be powerless to intervene.
6
Is it credible that Vice President Biden and his son Hunter never discussed his $50,000/month payments from a Ukrainian gas company ?
5
As far as Trump is concerned; A Republican becoming wealthy in places like the Ukraine is astute capitalism at its finest, but a Democrat doing the same is corruption.
13
Cynicism is democracy's greatest enemy. It is looking like cynicism has won. Welcome to 1984.
7
Ihor Kolomoyskyi is a Ukrainian oligarch who resides in Israel and was Zelensky’s former boss - both with ties to Netanyahu . Oleg Deripaska is a Russian oligarch, also has ties to Netanyahu who in turn has very close ties to US oligarchs like Sheldon Adelson, Ronald Lauder who have lots in common with Ukraine’s President Zelensky. Of course they will all try to save Trump. He has to be in power in order to allow the appropriation of Palestinian territory and passing of US intelligence to Israel, not mention the blaming for it all to Central American refugees, as Steven Miller is already doing according to plan . It’s all in the public domain.
4
Big mistake! It looks like a quid pro quo - you give me money and I will launch an investigation by a new prosecutor who would be "100 per cent mine," according to President Zelensky. Ukraine will have to deal with a new president not too far in the future, possibly a Democrat, who will view this move negatively.
3
This was bound to happen. Trump set this in motion, and has not rescinded his request.
Trump told the Ukrainian President that the Ukraine needed to do the U.S. a 'favor'.
Regardless of whether Trump's ask was constitutional, Ukraine is doing the favor it was asked to do...
6
From the Ukranian POV an audit is just a review of old cases. As noted elsewhere the younger Biden was not involved in those cases. In fact the elder Biden requested the Ukrainian president at that time to fire the prosecutor because that prosecutor was not looking very deeply for corrupt olegarcs. After the Ukrainian elections the new president got a new prosecutor who now says he will review those old cases. The younger Biden will not be involved unless a case against the corporation he was a Board Member of after the old investigation is reopened due to the new prosecutor's review and then only if this prosecutor chooses to extend the period of inquiry. Mr Trump can only say that previous studies are being reviewed and must state that was before the younger Biden's time. Democrats should emphasize this and condemn Trump for baseless slander. Remind him that he can and will be prosecuted whenever his Time in office ends.
7
If the new prosecutor is "100 percent" Zelensky's person then he is 100 percent corrupt, and his findings will mean nothing anyway.
Prosecutors don't belong to anyone.
We use to know that here in the United States.
2
“As the President of the United States, I have an absolute right, perhaps even a duty, to investigate, or have investigated, CORRUPTION, and that would include asking, or suggesting, other Countries to help us out!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday night, and he repeated the sentiments on Friday morning.
PK — Mr. President RELEASE YOUR TAX RETURNS— and investigate yourself.
9
The Ukrainians have very carefully put this investigation off until after the election. Then they will know best who the results of such an investigation should exonerate or indict.
Anti-corruption my foot!
Whichever way the wind blows...
Both Impeachment and Investigation of Hunter Biden can be done at the same time. There shouldn't be any "whataboutism" here, get 'em both (and whoever else). We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
4
Donald Trump plays his last card and asks for impeachment voting, in the house of representatives, putting the future of political representatives at political risk, but crimes cannot be put to the vote.📉
2
This whole situation of Ukraine now saying that they will 'audit' several cases handled by the previous prosecutor, one of which includes the gas company where Hunter Biden had worked , reeks, smells, stinks, of bowing and kowtowing to Drumpf's demands of digging up dirt for Drumpf' personal and mainly political purposes.
4
The Ukraine should not be cooperating with a criminal president who will not always be the US president. We intelligent American voters will not forget or forgive.
5
The magnitude of the Trump Administration's corruption and criminal behavior is astonishing. While he's out there every single day spewing nonsense and spinning lies and subterfuge, his minions have been spreading across the globe cutting dirty deals and strong-arming other countries in what is now, clearly, a vast web of deceit and criminal wrongdoing. It is stunning. Absolutely stunning. They have clearly modeled themselves on the Cosa Nostra in Sicily.
5
The Democrats in Congress investigated Trump in regard to
his and his relative's relations to Russia, in an obvious political vebndetta. They certainly have a right to investigate people possibly doing business with foreigners. They have a right to ask foreigners to help.
Trump is asking Ukraine and others in regard to Biden's and his relative's relations to Ukraine, in an obvious political vendetta. He certainly have a right to instigate investigations of people possibly doing business with foreigners. They have a right to ask foreigners to help.
Its the same thing. The Democrat's are trying to obstruct
an investigation by threatening to impeach Trump.
Fooey on everybody ... its a big nothingburger from all sides. Let the people decide.
2
@Doug McDonald
Not equivalent. Listen to our president’s words. Who is responsible to facts and who is spinning misinformation? The Russia investigation uncovered corruption among Trump’s campaign associates and this impeachment inquiry is a response to credible accusations of abuse of presidential power. Why would anyone not want to pursue the truth about these events?! That the inquiry is a "political vendetta" is spin, spin that is further evidence of hiding corrupt intent. This is far from a "nothing burger," the corruption is staring us in the face. I agree that Americans need to decide. We need to decide if we are a totalitarian state or democracy.
4
The vicious and amoral and self-dealers certainly appear to be winning. The ONLY way to stop this debacle is for a substantial number of Republicans to remember the reasons they first entered public service. They need to look at the evidence, ask themselves WHY they serve and then remind themselves that our country is more important than their own re-election bids. Doing what you know to be the right thing is enough. THAT is why you serve.
Which Republicans will lead on this? Will Senator Romney's tweets evolve into meaningful action? Will Representative Fred Upton of west Michigan do more than express concern and march around the district declaring himself to be bipartisan, ignoring the daily, open presidential abuses of power? After all, Upton voted to impeach Clinton whose offenses did not threaten our national security, our elections, or our constitution. It is NOT enough, as an elected official in D.C., to put one's head down and pretend like this is normal. The failure to act decisively is equivalent to complicity.
No one asked for this moment, this national crisis. But here we are. Not one Republican in the House or Senate will EVER be forgiven for failing to rise to this moment.
14
Frankly I hope they do open up an investigation since it’s been debunked over and over, what’s one more debunking. But what makes Zelenski think that when he tells Trump there’s nothing here, Trump will turn on him, call Zelenski corrupt or fake or any number of childish insults. One other thing to take note of, the Ukrainian government said, that nothing will be known until after the 2020 election. Sounds to me like they are hedging their bets, Incase Trump wins he satisfies Trumps desire to investigate Biden, and if Trump doesn’t win, then it becomes a moot point.
But it won’t end there, Trump wants the Ukrainian government to investigate itself looking for some imaginary server that only lives in the tiny minds of Trump supporters. I’m not sure if Zelenski doesn’t understand the server business mentioned in Trumps own released transcript of his call to Zelenski. Seems the one thing they both have in common is they are clowns on TV. Totally unprepared for the positions that they have been elected too, except the Ukraine voters don’t have an skewed electoral college that gives outsized voting power to a minority of voters. They use a cool idea called one man one vote, and the popular vote is the only vote that elects Ukrainian presidents .
2
What is the timeline. For example:
When was there concern about gas company corruption?
Who was the prosecutor at that time?
How did that prosecutor handle the corruption concerns?
Is that person still the prosecutor?
When did Hunter Biden go on the gas company board?
Who else went off and on the board around the same time?
Why was each new person chosen?
Did concerns about gas company corruption coincide with H. Biden's presence or did these concerns increase or decline while he was on the board?
Who was the prosecutor (or prosecutors) while H. Biden served on the board?
And, so on.
3
@Judy
To those who've bought into the trumped-up accusations against Biden, let's walk through this:
The prosecutor who Joe Biden asked be dismissed, Shokin, was let go because he wasn't doing enough to prosecute corruption. In addition, the investigation into the company that Hunter Biden was on the board of was dropped by Shokin long before Joe Biden and others, as part of an international coalition, called for Shokin's dismissal.
It should be noted that Biden wasn't the only one asking for Shokin's dismissal -- there was universal consensus that he should be replaced by a more aggressive prosecutor. If Hunter Biden was actually engaged in any wrongdoing, he would've been in MORE danger of being prosecuted thanks to his father's actions, given that the new prosecutor Biden was pushing for was way more pro-active in rooting out corruption wherever it occurred.
This highlights the ludicrousy of the charges that trump has been pressuring foreign governments to fabricate against Biden.
Also, all this manufactured outrage over Hunter Biden taking a high paying "no-show" type of job is total hypocritical nonsense, given the grifting of Trump's kids and Jared, who get way more $$ for doing nothing.
The trumped-up charges against the Bidens are yet another false equivalence to deflect from Trump's clear criminality.
4
@Roberta - Yes, I understand the story as you do, but recently I heard my GOP Rep., tell the story to media and it didn't include the details we know. And he was not corrected. His GOP version carried the day! I fear the GOP version will become THE version. Having a simple timeline of names, actions, and dates is needed.
3
No problem, Liz will be nominated.
3
This doesn’t deserve the front page, it’s obvious that Zelenski is bowing to pressure he’s making sure that Trump won’t cut off his aid. The problem becomes, anything potentially gleaned from an investigation that was closed, and the Ukrainians had said that the Biden did nothing wrong. So it’s been debunked many times over.
It’s also amazing that Zelenski would insert himself into another nations politics, by the way, given Trumps many years of dirty dealings, this could work against him, maybe the democrats running should invite countries to dig up dirt of Trump. For example, in Germany, and Deutsche Bank, he’s left a trail of wreckage behind him, and I’m sure he’s got many enemies. So if this is how low our country is willing to go, Trump should be careful what he wishes for.
6
Why is everyone assuming the Ukrainians have decided to help Trump? What better way to extricate yourself from this than to conduct the “review” and announce no wrongdoing?
Win-win. Trump allies can’t say you refused to investigate but you also pacify Democrats if things go badly for Trump (as they seem to be). A master play if that is how it goes down.
2
But the point is not to have an investigation. It is to be able to say over and over that Biden and his son are under investigation.
1
Seems to me, with all the choices available to Democratic primary voters, the ethical purity of each candidate would be a relevant issue. Have we gotten so jaded that we no longer care, so long as nobody brings it up?
The decision to make this a lynch pin of the impeachment inquiry makes it unavoidable that the entire subject of Hunter Biden, his income and its sources, and how he got those engagements are in the public eye. And no, its not just on Fox News. NBC news, Washington Post, and other mainstream credible news organizations are now looking into it and publishing stories.
Looking the other way will not blow this cloud from over Biden's head. If Trump's goal was to knock Biden out of contention, he has largely succeeded.
3
I wonder what the President of Ukraine will say when President Biden cuts off all military aid to his country?
I still see no quid pro quo identified. But if the Democrats think there is one they should have a vote on articles of impeachment. It’s not fair to the minority in the House for the Democrats to be able to continue their “inquiry “ where only they can subpoena witnesses and build their case. After an affirmative vote both parties would be in equal grounds.
3
If you do t see the quit pro quo, you should read more of the paper.
Investigate and you get to visit with Trump and buy weapons.
1
do juries vote on a verdict before they've been shown all the evidence?
3
@JrpSLm Fairness isn't a concept that Republicans recognize. Democrats have tried to play fair one too many times... it's an impossible strategy given the dirty partisan tricks that Republicans are known for. It's good to see Democrats fighting fire with fire for a change.
1
The Ukrainians should put their efforts aside and leave US politics alone. This is more than they can chew safely.
2
Why is this even a thing? Rich white guys getting overpaid jobs they're not qualified for isn't even remotely news. I can name three of them just from my previous company of 35 people.
Most of the Trump cabinet is rich guys getting jobs they aren't even remotely qualified for, including Eric, Don Jr, Ivanka, Jared, and of course: Trump himself.
How did Hunter get the job at Burisma? Like this: "Hi, I'm related to VP Joe Biden. If you put me on the board and pay me, that might look good to my dad." Ethically questionable, but not even remotely illegal.
Plus, he was a board member. Literally anyone can do it.
4
@Randall ...and he received NO SALARY while Joe was in the WH,.... so no influence.
Can someone please explain why Hunter Biden isn't pushing back on this nonsense? How is silence working against this daily assault on him? As far as I am aware, he's a lawyer working at a big firm an d his place on this Ukraine company board isn't all that unusual given that lawyers with a background in securities or compliance regulations are almost always sought out by international firms. Instead it's just silence. I'm no 'reputational adviser' but I can see a failing strategy here, and it is plain that the RNC and Trump are not going to stop.
2
What it comes down to is who can distance their corruption the furthest from the public eye. Given that Hunter Biden had no practical reason for being on the board, other than that his Daddy was Vice President, that he received big bucks says a lot. Trump does the same thing with himself and his son in law. However, Trump has the experience to bury his corruption deep and convoluted. Also, Americans expect this from Trump but are hoping that Biden and the other contenders to replace Trump might be a little above this sort of favoritism. Joe Biden blew it on this one.
2
Tainted. Whatever information may come from Ukraine, China or any other country for that matter, will be viewed as tainted or suspect..
3
I am 100% for replacing Trump by impeachment or ballot and gaining Dem control of the Senate as well as the house.
However, as damaging as the GOP has been as is being to our democracy, there is another smoking gun here.
I have done business in both the Ukraine and China in the late 1990's and early 2000's.
In the Ukraine we worked with good people in the private sector, not energy or finance. We could have done better if we had paid bribes but refused to do so and our business there did not flourish.
We left China when the entities we were dealing with would not pay their bills. We were told that bribes could arrange payment. We refused.
The Biden family connections in the sectors they were and are involved with in both countries are riven with mass corruption. Simply put, no one connected with the office of the Presidency of the US should be involved here - directly or via family members.
The Biden involvement will likely end his Presidential aspirations, so be it. But it may also give Trump and company a way out.
Let's all be very careful NOT to avoid the Biden issue. Let him defend himself and not drag our hopes of the change we need down with him.
Please pull out of the race Mr. Biden and please Dems do not defend him. His problem not ours
57
@Bill Wilson Thank you Bill for the insights from your experience. It should be obvious, even to die-hard Biden fans, that there are expectations from both the Ukrainians and Chinese regarding their offering board positions and investments to his son. Either they want leverage with an important US politician or Biden himself asked for a favor or some other quid pro quo. His fortunate son has no experience or skills for dealing with either nation as a board member or investment counselor.
8
@Bill Wilson It is too bad. Biden is the only one who can defeat Trump. If he pulls out, we are left with Warren who will never be elected and if she is able to somehow be elected, we are in for 4 years of chaos with trying to implement her myriad plans. 4 more years of chaos with either Warren or Trump.
I also worked in the Ukraine for many years. There is nothing that can be done about the corruption. Whereas in Russia Putin controls the oligarchs, in the Ukraine the Oligarchs control the president. So any investigation done by the Ukrainians is tainted since they will do whatever Trump wants.
I don’t Biden or his son is corrupt. But Trump will get what he wants a candidate he can easily defeat. Terrible for our country.
5
@Bill Wilson Judging by the number of comments on here calling for Biden to step down, posted by people claiming to be Democrats, it would appear that Trump's plan to use foreign influence to sow division among us is already playing out in real-time. The false equivalencies are already started to have the intended effect of dissuading people from voting, should Biden win the primary.
Biden may or may not be my first choice (I haven't decided yet), but I'm not going to let Trump's dirty political games influence my decision. Let's not lose sight of where the true corruption lies. It lies with trump and his GOP lackeys.
A Democratic win in 2020, no matter who the candidate is, is a step in the more preferable direction for our country ... far better than the alternative direction this country could go in if trump and his regressive Republicans retain power for another 4 years.
Trump has signaled that he'll sink to all new lows to avoid losing power in 2020. With Barr's justice department now acting like trump's personal lawyer, desperate times call for desperate measures.
We must unite and vote Blue in 2020 (no matter who), up and down the ticket, and in numbers too large to manipulate. Whether he's your preferred candidate or not, Joe Biden is right ... the 2020 elections will be for the soul of our country.
28
We do not need to be fed this distraction re Hunter Biden. To compare him with Trump is absurd. The media is doing exactly what Trump Inc wants by delving into Joe Biden's son's transactions. Whether he did anything wrong or not is irrelevant to the impeachable offenses of Donald Trump. Hunter is a private citizen..period. He is not of the same ilk as Paul Manafort, let us get that straight. If the times insists on diverting our attention to the real Constitutional crisis at hand, do not place articles as these on the front page. Andrew Kramer is doing a fine job as an investigative journalist, but it is an insult to thinking Americans to juxtapose Hunter Biden with Donald Trump. The tactics of the Trump administration is malignant affecting even the best.
27
@Kathy Lollock I agree with your sentiments, but the best thing for the NYT to do is address and DISPELL the false claim as soon as possible. Not doing so, keeps the flase narrative alive. Once its factually dispelled, with those facts online for all to search and see, then its probably proper to avoid the story, other than say "There is the debunked Trump Giuliani claim again".
4
@Basil ..if you look hard enough, you'll find that it has already been debunked. It's just NOT on the front page in BOLD headlines. It doesn't get "clicks".
3
@Basil Great point, Basil. Thanx.
1
Quid. Pro. Quo.
12
Inevitable and irrelevant. The abuse of authority by DJT is simple and susceptible to distraction. What, when and who in Ukraine takes up investigations of the former Ukrainian General Prosecutor does not alter the facts that 1) President DJT solicits foriegn countries to investigate a political rival; 2) the State Department engaged in a coverup of DJT's solicitations by sequestering transcripts; 3) the WH and Dept of State is coordinating and obstructing a House impeachment inquiry by failing to identify principals included in the solicitation and not producing the requested documentation.
117
@Rob D
In archival video shared last night by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, Graham, then a House of Representatives member, argued that a president can be removed “if this body [Congress] determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role . . . because impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
14
My version of Graham’s statement has an asterisk.
* unless Trump is president
5
I don't really see a big deal with Hunter Biden getting paid $600,000 for doing who knows what. Chelsea Clinton was on a $600,000 annual contract with NBC for a while as a correspondent. Everyone knows that the the children of powerful politician are given do-nothing jobs by friends of their parents in order to curry favors. Hunter Biden had as much background an experience in oil and gas companies as Chelsea Clinton had in being a special news correspondent. Zeros all around.
Nobody will every be able to prove otherwise. These deals are done without paperwork or any type of records -- they're not even deals, they're wink-wink moments where everyone not only knows what's going on, but make sure to make no comments to anyone or leave any written record so as to ensure 100% plausible deniability. It's ordinary nepotism.
These are cases of "I take care of your kid's income for you and maybe later you can do me a favor one day." This nepotism is standard in government, but Trump is simply expanding it internationally.
Americans don't like nepotism, but are willing to tolerate it on a small scale, since many folks get jobs by connections. However, using foreign connections to advance one's own presidential career may be the point where the citizenry claims foul. It's one thing to advantage oneself financial through family connections, but quite another to grasp the presidency via insider means.
7
Wow! Look how eager the Republican leadership is to work with Biden. Joe promises to win the election and then work collegiality with the GOP - imagining he alone will find cooperation and consensus? Not in this universe Joe. And now with Bernie's health issues - it's time for both their supporters to start getting behind Elizabeth Warren.
8
I cannot blame Ukraine here..and I suggest no one desolations until we understand their plight. They need the Javelin missiles and doing what they need to do..that is Ukraine First. They have no interest in the US election, much less interfering in it. Still, they are not going to jeopardise their own security. We can hope they will have an open and trustworthy review. It does not justify what Trump did. He used extortion to get the Ukraine to do this.
7
@Agostino,
I would agree, except since the Ukraine is and always has been deeply corrupt, because a comedian is president doesn’t mean that the government isn’t corrupt.
Time to save US tax payer dollars and reneg on the military aid package. This is blatant corruption and demonstrates the case made by pro-Russian separatists. Why stand in the way of another peoples self determination?
Sadly a country attempting to rid itself of corruption is being corrupted by the world champion corrupter.
16
What exactly is Trump saying??
“Sure, I’m shredding the Constitution and ignoring laws for personal gain, but everybody does it”.
Don’t let Trump get away with his con anymore.
It time to stop him.
13
I blame the DNC. Really, if knew you were up against the most dangerous Mafia in the United States, the Republicans, why on earth would you not ensure that the candidates in question did not have immensely suggestive, shady skeletons in their living rooms? Why would you shove Biden at the voters and destroy a peaceful attempt to garner 2020? For all those who say that it is the process that has been wrongfully employed, I ask you, once you cut the semantics, would you vote for Biden? Because the real question is more than impeaching the President at this point, it is about whether the Democrats understand the need to project the opposite of every unethical viewpoint showcased by Trump and the democrats. Biden, if he was half way decent needs to step down from his bid and allow the impeachment enquiry to proceed with him donating campaign funds to the whistleblower. And geez, if you have a kid who is that greedy, at least don't help him while in high places. And yes I WILL vote democratic, whoever the candidate, no hidden republican longings in my closet.
47
@Meena
What specific DNC actions are you talking about it? Didn't Biden enter the race on his own initiative, just like everyone else?
12
@Meena Because the DNC is Biden and Biden is the DNC? Not as pernicious as the Republican mafia mobsters, for sure, but no less in collusion with each other to insure the progressive wing of the party won’t succeed.
4
@Meena - The DNC isn't the mafia, you know. They don't select the presidential nominee any more than they get to pick who runs. Anyone who is a registered Democrat and files the proper paperwork can decide to throw their hat in the ring.
I mean, I agree that Biden should stand down - there's nothing substantive here, but it looks bad, and defeating Trump is too important to risk the GOP smear machine working again - but there's nothing the DNC can do about it.
4
What will your President do when the Bidens are investigated and cleared? perhaps the foreign powers involved should also investigate the rest of the Trump family
8
so is this the 'quid' or the 'pro'?
2
Biden's toast. Trump has played you all for fools.
2
#Vlad,
Hold off printing classroom textbooks just yet.
U want the maps right. Ukraine soon 'back in the USSR!'
U're welcome. Anything else?
@realDonaldTrump
5
And who is stupid enough to believe any report coming out of Ukrainian prosecutor's office after all this?
6
Dear New York Times - Stop carrying Trump's water by talking about Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden may be a demon, he may be a saint. Neither is relevant to the admitted FACT that Trump committed criminal and impeachable actions by asking a foreign government assist him in his election campaign and meddle in our election. Full stop. That's it. Case closed. Impeach.
21
@Jim
In this case I would agree, even The NY Times agrees that trump supporters newest shiny thing, Hunter Biden, didn’t do anything wrong, he was cleared. Neither did Joe Biden, as Susan Rice pointed out, Biden was acting as an agent for many western powers, and that everything was done above board, and was transparent. What the Times should be asking is, would it still be illegal for Trump to accept help that he pressured a foreign power to provide, and withheld allocated monies in the process.
3
@Jim
The NYT and all the other papers and media companies make a fortune with Trump in office. Lots and lots of readership. Controversy sells papers. Why would the NYT ever want to really hurt Trump?
False equivalency with Biden, who has led an exemplary life, is just like the NYT’s constant harping on Benghazi . . . And HILLARY’S EMAILS!
1
This is just brilliant. Ukraine can demonstrate that they’re not kowtowing to Trump by refusing to publicly and directly tie their “review” of the investigation to his request, yet by simultaneously suggesting that the investigation may last until after the election nevertheless continue to sow doubt and ensure Trump can continue to use the uncertainty as a cudgel against the Bidens during the campaign. And, if Trump is ultimately impeached or loses re-election, the Ukrainians can then say their investigation has exonerated the Bidens, and they are ready to work with the new administration.
8
Since Biden's son wasn't even on the board of directors during the two years for the original corruption investigation, what on earth could they find?!!!
9
@Kathleen Whatever works best for Trump.
5
Bashh,
10,000 recommends.
As usual, we look at this through US-centric eyes.
Ukraine has been seeking membership in the EU for years, as have several other nations. The EU has given Ukraine $16.4 billion since 2014, which is 2/3 of all aid Ukraine has received since then, and that doesn’t include support from other NATO countries.
I think Ukraine has been stung deeply by trump since his shenanigans, their new President (who, like trump, has no political experience, but unlike trump, isn’t a narcissist) damaged, and this new prosecutor is hopefully trying to undo some of that damage. Personally, I hope he succeeds. Ukraine in the EU would be the best geopolitical slapdown of Putin that could happen.
8
Pompeo defends trump’s attack on Biden and son as reflecting US foreign policy being “all about helping Ukrainians getting graft out and corruption out". Really? trump and his spawn have raked in more money from his presidential connections in the three years since he was elected than Biden could make in ten lifetimes.
11
Am I overly sanguine in reading this as a stall tactic, or are other readers missing this?
The audit, which the general prosecutor’s office said in a statement must be completed before any decision is taken on an actual investigation, could stretch on for months, or even until the end of the American presidential election next year, analysts said.
“This could go on for a long time,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, the director of the Penta analytical center. “I don’t think the prosecutor is going to be rushing with this. It’s better not to hurry.”
2
@ImagineMoments
I think it's more likely art of diplomacy and due diligence. This is bound to be poured over with a high powered microscope given the worldwide attention and future money/support at stake from not only the US but also the EU and IMF. Thus, it behooves Ukraine to prove that it is making progress in transparent, rigorous and neutral investigations, without fear or favor. Russia is still beating at its door.
When Pence's says Americans "have a right to know" if Biden used his position for personal gain, he knows it will not reflect back on Trump because Americans already know Trump is a fraud, a liar, a crook, and is without any personal or political or moral ethics. Even his base knows that. They just don't care. Sad.
3
And so the cancer of corruption that is Donald Trump and his Republican Party publicly metastasizes from our government to a foreign country.
The rest of us had better wake up to what is happening here. This is not politics as usual. OUR republic is being debased, perverted and corrupted by them before our very eyes. They must be stopped before it is too late to reverse the damage.
5
Republicans are one again trying to gin up bogus federal investigations against a potential Democratic front runner for President. Benghazi, Part Deux. They must be punished harshly for it this time, or it will be a standard practice on literally every future presidential race.
7
Pro quo, meet quid.
2
Why no mention of the two times Lutsenko has been recorded and shown recently in an interview stating unequivocally that Hunter Biden violated no Ukrainian law multiple times?
8
Will the criminal review include drug use ? It should
From CNN , 2014
"Biden's son discharged from Navy after testing positive for cocaine
By Eric Bradner, CNN
Updated 8:23 PM ET, Fri October 17, 2014"
We are not talking about smoking weed. We are taking about a hard drug user
Seems pretty irresponsible to let such an individual , being the son of the VP to let work abroad - let alone in the Ukraine , corrupt and riddled with Russian spies.
1
@Sergei
Hunter Biden is an adult who is free to seek employment anywhere he pleases. No one is in a position to "let" him do anything, or not do anything.
4
Thanks, Nancy and Adam, with friends like you who needs enemies.
XXXOOO
Joe
1
Life long democrat .
I'm disgusted with Biden son' parasitic behavior.
Not illegal but reprehensible.
Warren, Sanders.
3
@King Philip, His majesty yes, Biden should step aside.
“Review a criminal case...” A bit misleading!?
Is the review to deter whether there are criminal aspects which merit investigation?
Or is this a review of an adjudicated case in which charges of actual criminality have been legally and adequately documented?
For Trump, his minions, and those fed and satiated with “alt facts,” there is no difference. For them:
Accusations are Facts.
Facts, Fictions and Fantasies are goulashed.
KNOWING =Understanding. Wisdom, at best, is just a word.
Certitude is mantrafied by Pavlovian self-conditioned masses who choose to temporarily give up personal Identities.
Policymakers’ personal unaccountability is an acceptable norm.
A toxic WE-THEY daily violating culture, by harmful words and deeds, is enabled.
Praying to...and Preying on... are equivalent.
Realities’ interacting, ever- present dimensions of uncertainties, unpredictabilities, randomness and lack of total control notwithstanding
one’s efforts, timely or not, are “immunized” against by WILLFULL
blindness deafness indifference ignorance and Silence about what IS!
The faux-“FACT” that this “case,” amongst others, is being reviewed is a vindication of the LEWD-LIAR, for many of the MAGAs, even as his minions transmute current Trump investigations into “witch hunts!”
1
How is what Joe and Hunter Biden done different than former representative William J. Jefferson who was convicted in 2009? See: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/us/06jefferson.html
3
@Eric
Hopefully, we will have no one to compare Trump's corruption with. Agreed?
Wow. Your president and his GOP consiglieres continue to outwit the Democrats and have now neutralized the strongest Democratic contender for the presidency. God help you all if a Democrat, any Democrat, doesn't end the reign of your current despot-in-chief.
3
@True North I don't think outwit is the word. The idiotic things the president says somehow resonate with people who have not done their homework and don't know the details of what is going on. Which is most people, there simply isn't enough time in the day to read all of this and think about it, and sift through the lies and propaganda, when life is hard enough already.
I can't see any design in recent events in the White House, it all seems quite stupid. Which is the saddest part of all.
A current Board member of Burisma, who was there when Joe Biden was on the Board is Joseph Cofer Black, who use to be an Ambassador-at-Large and CIA Coordinator for Counterterrosim. Why hasn't someone interviewed him to find out any details? Why is a former CIA officer member of the Board? Just wondering...
2
@Ron Paris The NY Times moderates for civility. They need to moderate for accuracy along with it. Joseph Biden never sat on the board at Burisma.
No matter how you twist the story around to make it seem like Biden is the guilty party here the fact remains that Biden never sat on the board, his son has been cleared of wrong doing, although an admitted sleaze, Biden’s son was not connected with the gas company during the period of time under investigation, and Trump is the one who is trying to involve foreign countries in our elections.
3
Let us assume that there is some illegal activities on Hunter. Lets assume that Biden Sr.was not involved or was. Does that change the fact trump used his position to make them find this?Does it change the obvious quid pro quo he did for this?
It really is irrelevant that Biden did or did not do something, its Trumps actions we are trying.
9
It’s not at all irrelevant, ethically, legally, or politically.
The Bidens did absolutely nothing wrong, legally speaking. Ethically either, as far as the facts go. If you’d like to argue that it looked iffy, and shows all too well how money makes the world go round, okay, perfectly reasonable. We need legislation about these revolving doors.
But if you’re gonna go there, at least notice that Joe Biden left the Senate far, far, far down the list of wealthies. At least notice that this APPEARANCE of impropriety is laughably small, compared to Javanka’s taking $600 mil in bailout loans from Kuwait, and the long, long list of grifts from the Trump family and their cronies.
7
The gaslighting of the average, low information American voter is complete. Biden has been unfairly painted with the broad brush of nefarious corruption. Any Dem who is not a Biden fan should lay low on the celebration. Trump will try similar, lie infested take downs of Warren, Mayor Pete, and anyone else who stands in his way.
7
There may indeed be doubts about the Bidens ... and if so,t is not the office of the president that should be accuser, investigator, and judge ...
2
There are no facts to support Trumps lies... it is over and done. Also he is using our foreign aid for his own thuggish behavior and that is impeachable... stay focused America!!! Don’t let the Donald do this to us!!!! Now we have to hope that a small beleaguered country at war with Russia has the backbone to stand up to the big bully..,
2
The irony of trump's attacks on Biden and son flies in the face of his repeated assertions that his own son (Don jr.) is totally exonerated by the Mueller report. How does he know this?AG Barr is still sitting on the real (ie unredacted) Mueller report. It was supposed to have been released to the Congressional Judicial Committee several months ago. All critical parts of the report related to Don jr. have been redacted (ie covered up). Go figure.
6
So, Ukraine gets the military aid the Trump Administration was withholding and then opens an investigation that the Administration was requesting. Seems like a pretty simple quid pro quo deal. And it stinks.
The stench of corruption in this White House is unbelievable and everyone in it reeks.
We can only hope that House Dems can keep the articles of impeachment simple enough that every American understands how corrupt Donald Trump is and how desperate he is to win reelection. Then ask, "Why?"
3
If people are worried about the appearance of Hunter Biden's business activities while his father was Vice President, why do so few people seem to care about the appearance of the Trump family's ongoing foreign business interests? Time to ask a "favor" of China, and a few other key countries.
6
He asked for help from a foreign country to fight a political rival. That's like asking Russia or China to send troops to California to enforce his vehicle emissions "ban".
WAKE UP people,Wake up or it will be the wake of the USA you'll be queuing up for.
5
The question I have about this is whether Hunter Biden declared his payments from Ukraine on his income taxes. I doubt whether Ukraine sent him a 1099
3
way to focus on the big picture
3
Gee, I wonder why you care about a private citizen’s tax returns, but not Trump’s? Or even Joe Biden’s, which he released a while back?
2
This is an obvious political attack on the Bidens and I am wondering when Biden's former senate colleagues will say enough is enough! Outrageous behavior
4
I believe this translates to “Quo”.
4
So, Ukraine's decided to put all their eggs in the bouncy, un-padded concrete trump basket? Ukrainian egg shells must be far hardier than I'd imagined.
4
This — all of this— is why we can’t have nice things.
1
If Biden is not the democratic nominee then all this blustering will stop. Biden must not be the nominee!!!
2
@Ramona If Biden is not the nominee Trump will start on the next in line. Someone has already started rumors about Warren, and somewhere someone is certainly looking for the Harris birth certificate as well as combing through every case she ever tried as a prosecutor
That Quid Pro Quo is really working out for Trump.
3
On the streets here in Moscow the Russian in the street have a hard time keeping a straight face when talking about Trump and the Ukrainian president Zelensky.
Now that Zelensky is Trump's puppet master he has also become the puppet master's puppet master of Putin.
3
....So pretty clear Quid Pro Quo...
So what are the Trumpys moving towards for their new talking points?
3
This means that Trump succeeded on persuading the Ukrainian President? Is beyond my comprehension how the crooked man governing the United States of America it seems always getting what he wants... how’s possible that Republicans are using trump to advance their hateful agenda?
4
I wish John Kerry was running instead of Biden, at least he can speak properly and defend himself.
2
There is only one reason a Ukrainian energy oligarch pays Hunter Biden $50,000 per month.
5
@John Yes, it is the same reason that Qatar bailed out the Kushners and Ivanka gets Chinese copyrights. Only one reason.
1
This episode has all the plays of the campaigns to smear Hillary Clinton with 'Benghazi' and 'emails' that were so successful and that eventually gave an edge to DJT and the dirty tricks behind his campaign.
DJT is using the power and authority of his office to kneecap his rivals to escape the consequences of his own wrongdoing over many years. He knows that weakness in human nature and the tendency to believe the worst about people and how difficult it is to defend against accusations and innuendo no matter how baseless. He will continue to use his great stage and bullhorn to condemn the Bidens while declaring he has every right to extort others to investigate them.
Just as all the trumped up investigations of Hillary crushed her reputation, all the trumped up investigations of the Bidens will force Joe out of the race. Then, he will start to work on his other rivals with new smears and investigations turning all their virtues into vices.
The only thing that can stop this train wreck is for the public to start caring and pay attention. All of this will have drastic effects on their future day-to-day lives and that of their families. Facts and evidence matter and they have to matter more than unfounded belief and corrupted opinions.
128
@BJW
Only because Putin cannot be so blatant in his support this time.
4
@BJW Yes. He drag them all through mud of his own invention, and the media will lap it up, as will the electorate.
8
@BJW Well said. Judging by the number of comments on here calling for Biden to step down, posted by people claiming to be Democrats, it would appear that Trump's plan to use the influence of foreign governments to sow division among Democrats is already playing out in real-time.
The false equivalencies are already started to have the intended effect of dissuading people from voting should Biden, instead of their preferred Democratic candidate, win the primary.
14
We know how this will turn out. Every one who works at an institution that has a so-called internal review process knows that the reviewers are told what answers to come back with in advance.
2
Clearly, this piece is written from the underlying standpoint that Biden is totally innocent and that Trump is totally guilty. 50 grand a month for sitting on the board of directors certainly appears to be an extravagant amount for a nation whose citizens are at best poor, if not many destitute. Can it be that having the son of a US VP in the boardroom is, like the proverbial fly on the wall, a way to to help grease the millions of dollars of support provided by US taxpayers? What other valid reason is there for the VPs son to be so seemingly valued in a nation so reliant on US support?
4
No one knows more about corruption than Trump, so he would know how to also make it disappear. Guiiani guiding the process is a lesson that leads us strait to "The House of Cards".
1
"Ukraine to Review Criminal Case on Owner of Firm Linked to Biden’s Son."
Translation: Free and democratic Ukraine agrees to sabotage our own democratic elections on Trump's behalf, after Trump threatens to withhold the military aid that they desperately need should they hope to repel the present proxy Russian invasion. Their existence as an independent, free and democratic nation depends on that aid.
2
Ok.
So they are going to investigate to see if Biden and his son did anything wrong.
That’s well and good.
If they did, they should face the consequences.
Meanwhile, we know that Trump is breaking the law regularly on a daily basis.
Trump needs to be held accountable and face the consequences.
Trump continually obfuscates and deflects.
Trump is the best at the art of the con, but it’s time to call his bluff.
2
This issue goes way back to Trump's changing the 2016 Republican Party platform concerning aid to Ukraine. Everything Trump has done since then has been pro-Russian. Vladimir Putin is the only important person who Donald Trump hasn't insulted, the big question remains, why? Trump, who claims innocence, is fighting tooth and nail to hide his income and banking records, records which would prove his claimed innocence. So the other big question is WHY?
2
I don't quite understand why requesting an investigation of an opponent's possible criminal or corruption record domestically or abroad, if there are grounds for it, is illegal. It does seem a bit disingenuous to try to condemn an investigation because of its political motivation and not for the actual grounds that there may be for it (both may overlap). What should be illegal is to fabricate evidence, not to investigate dubious cases. Why would those politically motivated investigations not count as part of the mechanisms of checks and balances on politicians in a nation? Politicians should be on notice to be extra careful (virtuous) on how they pursue business because there is the risk of having corrupt deals exposed to the public (in the media) or prosecuted by domestic or foreign countries, and dirt fished out from deep waters--if it exists. Order overseas investigations of tax evasion, offshore havens, corruption etc. These are global times and that may help clean up the political swamp on both sides of the aisle. The problem with Trump is that he obfuscates everything and capitalizes (through his own fake constructions of news and issues) on ambiguities, confusion and unresolved investigations. But that is a separate problem, a profoundly unethical practice that the public should call him on. Biden, or his family, if found mixed up in shady deals can always ignore the publicity, like Trump and his family unfortunately do (and get away with). Dark times indeed.
3
The first investigation showed Hunter to be innocent. The second investigation (illegally requested by Trump) will also bear no fruit. But it’s a payoff by Ukraine to Trump. Trump will have to be impeached for his illegal activity.
Since It’s no longer a question if Nancy and Adam are out to sabotage Joe Biden’s candidacy, it’s now which other candidate are they doing it for? Foreigner or domestic election interference, does it really matter anymore where it’s coming from? Our actual going to the poll is now merely a formality.
Everyone from Kyiv to D.C. to news desks around the world would do well to remember, and to remind one another, that the United States is not the Trump Administration and the Trump Administration is not the United States.
I doubt there is an industry on earth that can't be investigated for the express purpose of finding negligent, scandalous or corrupt practices to prove some point and exact someone's idea of revenge.
The Ukraine, like the U.S., now must show the world how a constitutional republic handles matters of law and justice, truth and propaganda, threats and smears, contributing to our respective images around the world by reducing corruption in our midst without just destroying ourselves as pawns in Putin's puppet show.
1
"Will they find anything on Hunter Biden?" Nope, just like they didn't find anything on Hillary after two years of Benghazi nonsense. But the purpose wasn't and isn't to find any evidence of wrongdoing; it is to soil someone's name and reduce their electability.
2
Russia, one must recall, killed ten million Ukrainians when Stalin confiscated their food in a house-by-house effort. Context is everything here. Trump's appalling threats hint directly at that genocide. Context is everything.
An independent, free and democratic Ukraine depends on that military aid. Zelensky knows it and Trump knows it. Russia is waging a proxy war against Ukraine with the intent of swallowing Ukraine democracy and all.
Zelensky, another novice celebrity politician, should not be faulted for his desperation and the mistakes which desperation has spawned. And revisiting this completely debunked lie, after the unconstitutional Trump extortion, is a biggy.
His servile demeanor was calculated to please a man who looks only for servility in others. The practical servility of Zelensky, on behalf of his nation, must be compared and contrasted with the bootlicking servility of Trump before Putin. Individual One was and continues to be servile on behalf of his betrayal of his own nation and its democracy.
Trump, Pence, Barr, et al. have used public assets for private gain which is a violation of the Constitution. Nothing could be clearer. A White House invitation would not be granted and $400 million in military aid would not be delivered unless Ukraine did what Trump demanded and carried out a politically motivated investigation based on a completely debunked lie.
3
@Robert The hunger was not only in the Ukrainian part of the USSR. It was also in the Russian part. Stalin's regime is to blame. Not Russia. Not to mention that those polices were carried out by local apparatchiks (in Ukraine by Ukrainian apparatchiks).
@Alex.Msk
I beg to differ. The genocide in Ukraine was official policy. The aim of the policy was to destroy Ukrainian opposition to collectivization and to destroy their desire for independence. The Soviet Union murdered more than 20% of the Ukrainian population. Several million people perished in the other parts of the Soviet Union due to the famine and the failures of collectivization. But that is nothing compared to the state perpetrated genocide that took place in Ukraine.
What is more important to trump? That he gets some kind of an investigation from Ukraine that clearly lays out interference from Hunter Biden and/or Joseph Biden, just the way trump directs, or presenting to his chum Vlad Putin the gift of holding back on providing funding for Ukraine's purchase of Javelin missiles from Raytheon to defend itself against Russian aggression? Either way, Ukraine loses and American loses.
2
Well Trump has succeeded. He has tarnished the ability of the new Ukrainian government to appear independent of outside influence, and he has kept alive the Biden "scandal". Now he need only establish in the voters minds that impeachment is a treasonous act.
3
None of this passes the smell test. Money withheld until a public statement is made by Ukraine regarding an "investigation."
Are the Ukrainians intentionally slow-walking this (“This could go on for a long time,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, the director of the Penta analytical center. “I don’t think the prosecutor is going to be rushing with this. It’s better not to hurry.”). . . and in so doing, receiving the much needed military aid, while trying to appease Trump? Will they ultimately tell everyone that there's no wrong-doing by the Biden family?
While it may be understandable since they are trying to save themselves from Russia, it is still corrupt. Biden and others will remain in the cross-hairs of our corrupt president and a media focus.
Moreover, Volker doesn't come across as a clean broker. From the phone transcripts provided, he appears to be talking out of both sides of his mouth: on one hand he is advocating the public statement; then does he feel a twinge of conscience and try to push back?
From everything made public so far, Trump, Pence, Pompeo and Barr have violated their oaths of office and need to go. They are using OUR money for political gain.
And let's please forget the Trump die-hards; they will never show any integrity or remorse for placing so much public trust and power into the hands of someone who deserved it the least.
This is problematic on so many levels. But I think the basic facts on Biden and this Ukraine story are lost in the Trump smear campaign.
A Putin hand-picked oligarch in Ukraine, Yanukovych, was forced to flee to Russia during public uprising against said government.
A pro-Western president, Poroshenko, took over but many top holdover officials in the country remained and were corrupt. He appoints Shokin as the prosecutor general.
Russia invades Eastern Ukraine, so the E.U. and the US support efforts to counter this aggression and Ukraine’s reliance on Russian oil.
The Obama administration, many governments in the EU and the IMF pressed Poroshenko to get rid of Shokin because he was also viewed as corrupt. They did.
Shokin was not pursuing any corruption investigation against Burisma at the time. So if there was an outcome, it would have been to INCREASE pressure for an investigation.
Lutsenko, Shokin’s successor, has said publicly that Burisma was involved in corruption for years but this was before Hunter Biden was on the board, and he was not involved or responsible for that.
So the Obama and EU actions if anything would have hurt this company if there was something untoward. As usual, just the opposite of what Trump is accusing Biden of purely for his own advantage.
I do feel H. Biden should have avoided any appearance of conflict and stayed out of Ukraine.
We do however have a solid record now of Trump’s corruption. Impeach and then defeat him in 2020.
I wonder how much influence Mr. Putin still has in Ukraine. Though President Yanucovych was kicked out by an American supported Ukrainian 'coup', there would still be extensive Russian mob connections that could be levered.
Two words: Neil Bush. This what we have come to where not only does a political candidate have to pass a purity test but in addition all of his family members acquaintances friends ferry godmother‘s etc. have to pass a purity test.
Trump broke the law. He got his administration to make Ukraine open this investigation. He hast to go.
2
So... the quid pro quo worked...
And over on Fox News Republicans are screaming about bipartisan norm violations regarding minority parties...
They really are absolutely shameless. When Democrats were in the minority the Republicans destroyed every single shred of bipartisan rules and norms in their quest for power. Now that they’re the minority they expect us to treat them with respect?
Republicans must never have heard of the Golden Rule: treat others with the same respect as the individual wants to be treated.
The Republicans decided that when they were a majority that the voices of the minority didn’t matter. They shouldn’t be surprised that the Democrats have responded in kind. It’s astoundingly shameless.
1
So, the new President of Ukraine; a former comedian is now actively engaged in assisting the President in undermining our elections. Where is the outrage? Many of us were, and still are outraged Russian engaged in activities to undermine our elections. We should be equally outraged at this action taken by Ukraine.
108
@Bryan
Um I think you have missed the point that he has in fact not done anything to help Trump in this way. They have been quibbling and arguing for ways to use language to make it seem they were doing as he asked while not doing it. You know practicing at being republicans.
That is why Trump was holding the aid back. This prosecutor said he would look at the previous investigation which found no crimes were committed by Hunter Biden. BTW Joe Biden wanted Shock fired because he would not investigate Burisma not to stop him from investigating it. The voters of teh Ukraine removed him from office.
8
@Bryan ukraine is a sovereign country they can investigate anyone just like the USA investigates and puts people on trail who have never stepped foot on our lands. Get used to it as we enter a multipolar world and USA influence recedes, some of my more naive compatriots are in for a real surprise on how things work. Here is a clue we won’t be able to bomb and shoot our way out of this mess.
1
This is a nightmare--something out of the Fall of the Roman Empire.
Trump has to be pushed, shoved and kicked from office. I want the part of America that does not read The NY Times to wake up. Our lives but particularly the lives of our children are at risk.
5
Trump understands, as Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer do not, that winning is everything and that he has the full power and financial clout of the American government behind his goals in Ukraine.
What I think Trump may have missed is that Joe Biden is not th best possible Democratic candidate - Elizabeth Warren is.
Of course, Trump has been trying to trash her as Pocohantas for years. That's actually helpful. She's prepared for it.
I think Democrats are extremely naive and are dealing with Trump and his minions ineffectively. Democrats - or Jeff Bezos - need to be buying talk radio stations throughout the Flyover to start broadcasting real information to voters who can then make up their own minds.
5
In archival video shared last night by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, Graham, then a House of Representatives member, argued that a president can be removed “if this body [Congress] determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role . . . because impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
3
There is only one reason a Ukrainian energy oligarch pays Hunter Biden $50,000 a month.
Since Ukraine is notoriously corrupt it's illogical to accept at face value the conclusions of any previous investigations.
I doubt Joe Biden did anything wrong but only a fool could think Hunter Biden is clean.
3
Begin the investigaton with this question: Who owned Burisma Holdings Limited (Cyprus) and why did she or he hire Hunter Biden, the ex-president of Poland, and ex-ambassador and ex-CIA Cofer Black to the board? Mykola Zlochevsky is reported to have co-founded the company (before and while he became ecology minister) and reports have assumed he is the owner as well, but nobody has produced evidence. Anti-corruption activists have not been able to determne ultimate beneficial owners of closely held private shell companies in Cyprus such as Burisma and the ownership of leases on oil and gas extraction in Ukraine. Some activists have asserted that Zlochevsky sold a majority interest in Burisma to the Privat Group, owners of PrivatBank, nationalized Dec 18, 2016. If so, investigations of the board of Burisma and Biden after the sale would be separate from those of Zlochevsky, for example his tax problems.
2
So glad we have a democratic Congress. Can you imagine all this going on with a republican controlled Congress. There would be no checks and balances, and would be a total cover up. A great example of why we need both parties involved in politics.
2
QUID PRO QUO
Definition:
"In politics quid quo pro can refer to the use of political office for personal benefit. For instance, an elected official might promise favorable governmental treatment to a person in exchange for something of value. This form of quid pro quo would be a violation of the law."
Question;
Who benefits from the Ukrainian government investigating former Vice President Biden and his son Hunter: the legitimate national security interests of the United States of Mr. Trump's reelection campaign?
Question;
Would a public investigation by Ukrainian prosecutors of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son be "valuable" to Mr. Trump's reelection campaign?
Question;
Presuming Mr. Trump had credible evidence the Ukrainian government had important exculpatory evidence of who was behind the foreign interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election why wasn't this evidence turned over to Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his active investigation?
Question;
Why didn't Mr. Trump mention or complain about the lack of investigation of former Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden during his daily comments or tweets during the pendency of the Mueller Investigation?
6
What is wrong with investigating Biden now rather than have him go through impeachment hearings later? Realize that from now on every president who has the other party as the majority in the house is going to go through at minimum "impeachment investigations". Washington now is purely political, nobody is concerned with good governance.
3
@Tammy
Tammbo assumes Biden is already President.
And your hasty generalization about the use of the impeachment process is totally unfounded, irrelevant and plain ignorant.
@Tammy
Because it's been investigated and debunked.
Is it swamppy what Hunter did yes.
Please do some research before piping in
Now that the issue has been raised, out of deep respect for my Base brethren who find it compelling, I demand we look into every relative of every politician who sits on any Board anywhere. The fate of the nation hangs in this balance.
Let us ascertain the reasons, the rewards, the particular qualifications of every politically-related Board member. Let us proceed perspicaciously, for our own sakes.
I say we begin with Republicans who, being of sterner moral stuff, certainly have less to hide. Let us do the easy ones first. Begin at the top of the political hierarchy and work our way downward.
7
The MSM made way to big a deal over was or was not there a quid pro quo involved.
QPQ is NOT required for this to be impeachable.
Merely enlisting a foreign government to investigate your chief political rival is an abuse of power and against the law.
He's doing it all in plain view again.
It worked before for him in '16, so now he will push the boundaries of what he can get away with.
I hope the other Dem candies are looking around the corner to see what's coming down 5th Avenue for them.
Once Joe is knocked out one of them will become Target #1.
19
@Chris Morris why should a political candidate with obvious unethical and probable illegal activities be exempt from being investigated? Was not Obama aware of and complicit with the FBI investigating Trump based on the phony Fusion dossier?
1
Just pull the Board of Director meeting transcripts.
That'll show if Hunter Biden was actually a member of the participating Board of Directors of a major corporation or if he was just there for window dressing while his Dad convinced Obama to up the aid package to $1billion instead of $700 million.
An extra $300 million for a friend..who's open to helping the friend's...kid?
Call it a commission or a gift. In Eastern Europe, it's surely not called a bribe. There is no such word in the Ukrainian language.
8
@Erica Smythe
Boards don't take transcripts of their meetings. Even if they did, a transcript wouldn't show anything re the issues you mention.
4
@Erica Smythe - People don't seem to understand that even if Hunter Biden were a proven crook, that doesn't absolve Trump of his criminal and impeachable actions. Only the easily confused believe otherwise.
195
@Erica Smythe What word shall we use for your attempt to slime Biden? You don't cite even a shred of evidence that such a thing happened. Oh, evidence is so yesterday.
Just like Trump didn't need no stinkin' evidence to claim that Obama wasn't a citizen.
Meanwhile we have Trump, who doesn't trust the FBI or the CIA, calling on China to "investigate" the Bidens. Because we all know that the Chinese system of justice is unimpeachable.
6
Trump has a history of complaining that his political rivals are doing the exact same thing that he is doing. Why, why, why are the MSM not asking him what about Ivanka and her China deals. What about Jared and his money making deals in Saudi Arabia and New York real estate. God knows what Donnie Jr and Eric are up to. How much does Trump charge the American taxpayers when he goes for visits to his own properties. How big is his entourage, has he increased the room charges since he became president? Why when Trump is holding a news conference are these questions not being asked. It seems to me that the MSM is again being led by the nose and Trump gets to set the news agenda. I think Trump's strategy may be working. Breaking the law in public, asking foreign powers to investigate his political rivals may be impeachable but this man's lack of shame helps him. If he's doing it publicly, can it be that bad? Are his family making millions of his presidency, if so, how much? ASK HIM. Does he think he is setting a precedent and does he think a Democratic president will have foreign powers investigate his family. He wont be able to protect them when he leaves office. MSM please try to be as smart as Trump, if not smarter.
39
The NYT is now peppered with Biden (pick son or father) corruption and investigation - everywhere, everyday. Congratulations for climbing into the story frame created by Republican and Trump strategists. Republicans have been doing this a long time - remember the Swift Boating of John Kerry? Whitewater? Benghazi? Birther nonsense? It's discouraging and depressing when the news sources that are not Fox News/Infotainment get sucked in. So....if we have to endure this with the Bidens, why are there not concurrent articles about Trump, Eric, Donald Jr, Ivanka and Jared on every front page as well. Better yet - why don't your reporters and analysts show how the propaganda, distraction and disinformation system is working?
77
Control the zeitgeist. Nothing learned since last time.
2
Sorry, so only one side should be investigated? What sort of objectivity is that? In all the tsunami of reporting, I have not read two words that can explain what Hunter Biden was doing on that board and on the basis of what qualification was he placed there? But we shouldn’t ask that question? I’m befuddled.
2
@Charley
Only if the same questions are going to asked and the same investigations are going to proceed about the whole Trump family at the same time. Right now, the leader of the free world, President of the United States is calling on foreign powers to dig up dirt on an election opponent. Ukraine must have our foreign aid or risk further annexation from Russia - withholding it was and is clear pressure. It is an illegal and inappropriate use of the power of the Presidency of the United States and it's a mockery of free and fair elections.
1
Trump's companies RIGHT NOW are taking money from foreign governments. Kushner's sister went to China and offered Green cards for investments in a Kushner Family project. Kushner's underwater building in Manhatten amazingly got a major loan.
We are literally seeing the President and his family bribed by foreign governments and banks.
45
Let us not forget that there is a history of members of U.S. administrations, either while administration members or later, providing access to foreign "businessmen" or accepting gifts that proved problematic. Folks whose names spring to mind: Spiro Agnew and Sherman Adams.
6
If Trump can get away with committing crimes while in office, who says any other American should be charged, tried and punished for any criminal activity? That this is going on, and one part of the political spectrum thinks it's okay, is abhorrent. I demand a full accountability for every single individual involved in this hoax. I demand that Trump and his children, along with everyone else involved in this hoax, to turn over all their assets to re-establish our American democracy and our system of justice. I demand the Trump administration to release all records related to the campaign and presidency, all financial information, all tax information.
Congress needs to act with integrity. If not, every member who does not should be fired, voted out of office.
I lived through Nixon's impeachment. Unlike Trump's impeachment to come, Trump needs to be incarcerated, along with all his fixers--including those in his administration and family who have played along.
9
Since Mr. Trump and Mike Pompeo have nothing to hide, perhaps if they release the original transcript of President Trump's call to the Ukrainian leader, the Ukrainians could get back to running their corrupt government, and fighting the invading Russian forces occupying their nation.
7
Glad to see the new prosecutor is reopening a lot cases. When Lutsenko was chief prosecutor. He closed a lot of cases and just swept them under the table.
4
@Judy Weller, yes, yes Ukrainian corruption is right up there in the top ten things Republicans have been concerned about for years. It’s just American corruption they don’t care about, right?
@Judy Weller, - Glad to see so many random conservatives pretending to care about Ukrainian domestic corruption. Let me guess; it's been a passion of yours for, oh I dunno, the last three weeks or so?
2
So Ukraine buys time while they wait to see where the politics go in the US.
If Trump beats the impeachment inquiry, the so-called Biden investigation moves forward, continuing to create the impression of a scandal.
If Trump goes down, Ukraine confirms that they've uncovered nothing and tries to get into Biden's good graces.
What other option do the Ukrainians have, really? They have to play both sides.
What's revealed is that Trump's pressure on them is real and has worked well for him.
16
@Chad Verly
I think you forgot the part where the Ukrainian prosecutor stated a long while ago that Burisma founders were under investigation but that the firm itself was not, and neither was Hunter Biden. Even now, there is nothing to indicate that Hunter is in legal jeopardy.
Burisma's founders have been under investigation by Ukraine and/or the EU for years. And with good reason, given their financial shenanigans and corporate structure.
If you run a legit gas business in the Ukraine, you don't register your company in Cyprus. You don't staff your board with former CIA directors or Polish Prime Ministers that know nothing about the energy business and don't speak Ukranian. You don't pay your board members vast sums of money unheard of in Eastern European firms of comparable size/revenue.
1
On Thursday the State Department approved the arms deal and the next day, they open an investigation. Quid pro quo.
24
Dem party,
Do the investigation and release all evidence to the American public.
If warranted from the evidence, censure trump but do not impeach.
This would deprive McConnell and trump of declaring victory, yet damaging evidence (if any) would be seen by the people who can make their decision in 2020.
McConnell has clearly stated he will call for a quick vote in the Senate, it will fail, he'll get it behind him in 1 day.
Dems, don't fall for this.
Get the evidence, put it out there, let the public decide.
10
>>....will steer the Ukrainian prosecutor office’s handling of the issues raised by Mr. Trump in the phone call .... one of the two investigations that Mr. Trump raised in the call. <<
This reporting mentions only one issue raised in the phone call, Burisma and Biden, and that was raised by President Zilenskyy. The issue ("favor") that President Trump raised, investigation of Ukraine interference in the 2016 election, is not properly handled by the state prosecutor's office. The presidents agreed to contact Attorney General Barr and Mr Giuliani but there is no evidence either did. Mr Barr's spokesman said he planned to continue his investigation.
1
Deny, deny, deny. Use lofty phrases to cover up for collusion. When you get caught, deny some more. The Circle of (political) Life.
4
There is no impeachment inquiry until they have a vote on doing just that. What's going on now is just theatrics, all nicely framed by The New York Times and other democrat run papers (or is it the other way around) in order to create an illusion as if, just like the Mueller hoax, the President is now and finally in some sort of trouble. There was no legit whistle blower as there was no legit inquiry into Russian collusion, as there is no legit impeachment inquiry. There's only a video of Joe Biden (then VP) bragging about extorting the Ukrainian government to remove the prosecutor who was about to investigate his son.
6
Why does the Times feel compelled to repeat Trump’s lies in their stories? Is there any evidence that Hunter Biden received $1.5 billion from China or that China received any special grade deal. If those statements are to be quoted in a news story they should be labeled as unsubstantiated political dirt.
Rick J.
20
U-kraine!
If there's something strange in you neighborhood
Who you gonna call? (U-kraine!)
If there's something weird
And it don't look good
Who you gonna call? (U-kraine!)
US law enforcement, the FBI? (NO: U-kraine!)
Who you gonna believe? (U-kraine!)
with apologies to Ghostbusters author Ray Parker Jr.
1
...and the propaganda again shows the raw and brutal power of Trump and his henchmen led by Steven Miller, his Svengali. His followers are too willfully ignorant and/or so greedy that they do not care. Only massive turnout in 2020 by a demoralized and uninspired electorate will save our country. Tragic times.
7
Better late than never right Donald?
Putin is smiling from ear to ear.
6
The Ukraine is making a big big mistake if the cooperate with the US arch criminal president. They will be very sorry and soon. Russia will see toit.
4
We will remember this Ukraine. You are hitching your wagon to trump. We will remember you.
5
The fools fell for it. Better hope the next president is not a democrat.
1
Such a shame whenever it’s confirmed how corrupt and spineless the world’s leaders are.
3
Let’s see how long it takes for Zelensky to get his date at the White House.
2
So if a new Dem POTUS win the White House, would it be ok to withhold aid from Ukraine? Is that what Trump is in effect saying is ok?
New POTUS can always say, Ukraine you are corrupt because you bowed to a corrupt Trump, unless you investigate him and his family. Who would blame him?
Same goes for any other country places where Trump has businesses such as Saudis, Israel, Scotland. New POTUS can ask those countries to investigate Trump or ELSE!
This is what our country has become under Trump. Do we want to live in a country like this? The answer is no and this is why he needs to impeached and also him and his family prosecuted in criminal courts for all his other wrong doings.
8
"Among those who had a stake in the outcome was Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden’s younger son, who at the time was on the board of an energy company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch who had been in the sights of the fired prosecutor general."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/politics/biden-son-ukraine.html
Is there no conflict of interest? How do you know?
Aren't you even curious about what appears to be, according to the Times, Wash Post, State Dept, the appearance of a conflict of interest?
13
The servility of Ukraine's government toward our shamefully blackmailing White House is repulsive.
8
Trump gets his favor.
4
Please make all this nonsense go away..eg., Benghazi crazy hearings...now republicans
search for dirt on Biden. let's talk a bout trump and his crimes, list all the impeachable acts in every paper.
6
Trump unwittingly or stupidly has put Ukraine in the drivers seat. They can now produce "evidence" to sink or help Trump's campaign/presidency. Exactly why Trump's quid pro quo threat is illegal for a US president to make. It's an unacceptable security risk to the USA.
5
"Threading the needle," indeed. On Thursday we agree to sell 150 Javelin missiles to Ukraine, and the very next day Mr. Ryaboshapka announces his investigation of--wait for it--Burisma. This man has the moves for "Dancing With the Stars." Nothing definitive, just enough to cast a shadow on Biden. So, when is the Oval Office pow-wow?
147
@ARNP After seeing clips of Sean Spicer on DWTS, I would be careful declaring any politician knows how to dance.
1
@ARNP Hard to believe America fell this far this fast
3
@ARNP While I agree with the general sentiment of your comment, we should be careful with the details. Ryaboshapka didn't announce an investigation of Burisma; rather, he announced an audit of how the cases were investigated.
"The audit, which the general prosecutor's office said in a statement must be completed before any decision is taken on an actual investigation, could stretch for months, or even until the end of the American presidential election next year..."
Let's not give the GOP more rope than the Ukrainians have already provided.
5
Republicans controlled both House and Senate when Biden was Vice President and Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma Holdings. Republicans also controlled both House and Senate until 2018. They still control the Senate. Republicans took control of House on January 2011. The Republican controlled House had 6 investigations on Benghazi. The Democratic controlled Senate also had 2 investigations on Benghazi - because Democrats put country ahead of party. Republican controlled House had 2 investigations on Fast and Furious. They had an investigation on Solyndra. They had 2 investigations on IRS Targeting. The Republican controlled House was not shy about investigating the Obama administration. So why didn’t they investigate Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and Ukraine from 2014 to 2018, when Hunter joined Burisma board in 2014 or when VP Biden focused on stopping corruption in Ukraine in late 2015?
It’s simple, Joe Biden was not Trump’s political opponent at that time, but he is now. Also, the facts are clear, VP Biden’s push to remove Viktor Shokin, the prosecutor general in Ukraine at the time - a move backed by US State Department, EU, IMF, Ukrainian and international anti-corruption groups, and Republican Senators - because Shokin was NOT investigating Burisma (or other corruption), so Joe Biden’s pressure to remove Shokin increased NOT decreased investigation of Burisma.
Trump is openly using foreign countries to interfere in our elections - that’s illegal and impeachable.
22
What Hunter Biden did or did not do is not an issue of contention to anyone other than Trump. If Mr. H. Biden had a job for which he was paid- so what. Trump is making Joe and Hunter Biden an issue that has nothing to with our President’s crimes. The facts reported in this column have as much to do with Trump’s irreverence for our rule of law, and his offenses against the Constitution, as a report on ANYTHING officials in Ukraine would choose to investigate. The sad fact is such bunk, and the way it is reported, provides cover for Republicans to appease their naive constituency and provide a path that will help them keep their jobs, or so they hope.
6
@Wanda ah, but of course with Kushner and Ivanka, we need to turn over every stone, examine every aspect of their lives, fingers crossed that we can find some dirt to sling at Trump.
Don't you people ever tire of the hypocrisy?
1
Stir the pot. Muddy the waters. Pick a card any card. And the joy within us dies.
3
Tom Clancy would be proud, after he was flabbergasted.
1
The wolf is not just at the door with these poor people, but it is standing on their necks.
So I suspect they will do anything for the arms they need to defend their very lives.
1
Why not just have Biden's son, under oath, say how much he made and what he did for it.
His tax returns would help.
7
Let’s see Trump’s tax returns too.
3
@Leslie
And put him in prison.
@RD
You're missing the point completely. Deposing Hunter would tell us nothing. Need to depose Joe
Hunter Biden's China and Ukraine dealings should be investigated. Just like Elaine Chao's and her family in China dealings with the US government should be investigated.
Trump and his representatives were blackmailing officials, withholding aid, promising access or lack of access, and who knows what else, in order to influence another election, which is treason, isn't it?
Where are the subpoenas the Democrats promised?
3
@Hope You mean McConnells wife
This playbook of streatching a bogus investigation till the day of the election worked to ellect Trump over Hillary. Why wouldn't he and Rudy pull the same stunt now?
6
If I went on Twitter and re-tweeted a post threatening civil war, tweeted racist and vulgar comments, I’d be kicked off the platform immediately.
So why is trump permitted to remain on Twitter??
9
Trump needs to be ousted. Now.
8
It’s official. Trump has dug all the way through Ukraine and come out in China. Trump McRuff. Tough on crime. Plant the evidence then arrest your suspect.
3
It makes my blood boil that Trump used federal funds and resources to extort another country into investigating a political rival. So now I am contributing to Trump's campaign funds and re-election. The RNC has plenty of donations from Trump supporters. Why couldn't they have done this for Trump and the GOP? These folks are so disgusting.
4
So when are we getting the wall-to-wall coverage on Trump’s children’s corruption?
Come on, New York Times, what’s good for the goose is great for the gander. Your freedom to operate as an “independent” paper is on the line with a second Trump term. Sure you’ve done a few stories here and there but it’s far more important you put them and fresh journalism on the front page now while this blatantly hypocritical assault is under way.
Investigate Trump’s children now!
10
This is the witch hunt we have been hearing about.
2
The gangland tactics pay off in a grotesque outcome
Trump's poisonous tentacles are everywhere...Ukraine, Russia, Saudi Arabia...who knows where else?
How many other secret deals and places are festering with his corruption? It's like a horror movie--you never know where the evil lurks next.
We can't get rid of this contagious guy soon enough, and we have to Lysol everything afterwards.
2
“I would like you to do us a favor, though."
3
The Ukraine prosecutor says his office is above politics, I wish I could say the same thing about DOJ.
3
Ha ha. The Ukrainians aren't stupid. Trump loves Putin. Putin wants to take over the Ukraine. Ukraine wants Trump out of office. They will investigate and right before the US election declare that there was no criminal conduct. Period. All of this is assuming that Biden will be nominated. Trump may be tilting at windmills all along.
1
Then to everyone in the international community: Why don't you just throw in Trump's children while you're at it so you can actually have something LEGITIMATE to come up with.
1
It seem obvious to me that what Trump was ultimately looking for, was to get foreign help in manufacturing evidence, that didn’t exist, in order to frame his enemies.
2
I hope that NY Times and other media outlets will be able to keep perspective on this. There isn't anything binary about this. The Trumps AND the Bidens AND the Clintons may have done things that are worth writing about. The Bidens guilt or innocence shouldn't change the basic facts. So far, the focus has been on 'who is right?' which is a red herring.
Looking forward to the article the lays bare the facts on how ALL of the children of both Trump AND Biden are benefiting from their fathers.
Just another reason to vote for fresh blood.
5
The Ukranians now have to decide if they can afford to be out of Trump's good graces until the election.
Everyone needs to calm down. The Obama administration, along with the European Union, rightly pushed Ukraine to step up its anti-corruption efforts. Obama tasked Biden to demand that Ukraine get rid of its then-incumbent prosecutor general because his handling of corruption cases was grossly inadequate.
The current Ukrainian president ran and won on a strong anti-corruption platform, and there is every reason to believe that the president selected his prosecutor general in furtherance of that platform.
As yet, the current prosecutor general hasn't reopened any investigations - he announced an audit of his predecessors' investigations, to see whether they were by the book. I think it's likely that they weren't.
The Burisma investigation is one of those under audit. And the Burisma investigation was not an investigation into either Hunter Biden or Joe Biden, but an investigation into the owner of Burisma, a Ukrainian oligarch and former government minister.
After the Yanukovich government fell in 2014, Burisma's owner fled the country under a cloud of suspicion of self-enrichment. Previous prosecutors general declined to prosecute him, even after recordings surfaced strongly suggesting he was guilty of corruption.
The decision not to prosecute should be reviewed, and the new prosecutor general is right to review it. Under Obama, Biden rightly insisted on tough anti-corruption action in Ukraine, and I fully expect he will insist on it still.
"In initiating the audit, Mr. Ryaboshapka said at a news conference in Kiev, 'The key words were not Biden and not Burisma'.”
This is an important part of the article. But wait for trump, along with his internet army, who will see only the article's headline and without reading the article itself, will gloat and crow about Trump's vindication. This is exactly what trump wanted from the Ukraine -- a headline insinuating that the Bidens were under investigation (when in fact, they're not). And the Ukraine, along with the NY Times, just handed it to him on a silver platter. Way to go.
1
So now a US president whose own DOJ decides to NOT investigate a US presidential candidate, asks corrupt and totalitarian foreign countries to start doing so, knowing that their DOJ doesn't have to respect the US Constitution.
And he hopes that we won't mind, because all these moves will turn Biden in to a perceived suspect and increase cynicism among the American electorate anyhow, which is obviously Trump's only goal here.
What a scam.
299
@Ana Luisa
Hunter Biden took the Ukrainian money and the Chinese investment sure looks like a bribe too. The Biden candidacy is dead.
Good for the Americans. Elizabeth Warren is a much more interesting candidate. She has the problems facing society figured out and ideas on solutions too. I don't always agree and she hasn't yet said how she is going to combine generous welfare with open borders. But to have less faith in her than in a smarmy, baby kissing, money-under-the-table kind of guy like Joe Biden is just pure misogyny.
4
@Michael
1. All available evidence shows that neither Biden nor his son are guilty here.
2. The US DOJ and the FBI, led by Trump, until now refused to even open an investigation - which means that there's nothing to investigate, in their perception, and that's precisely why Trump is asking corrupt prosecutors in foreign dictatorships to launch an investigation instead.
Conclusion: if you support Elizabeth Warren, you support respect for the Constitution and America's institutions. In that case, you cannot possibly accept the fake news that Biden did something wrong here, and should instead strongly support the idea that he remains in the race, just like we should support the idea that Bernie stays in the race after his surgery. What we need, is a debate of IDEAS, instead of hoping that those candidates whom you agree less with would be ousted through fake news ...
9
@Michael
Actually, Michael, you're COMPLETELY WRONG! H. Biden took no salary from Ukraine while his dad was in the White House. You've fallen into the "Donald Trap". He tells you something unsubstantiated over and over and you believe it must be true. Ever heard of research? It doesn't mean watch TV and believe the "opinions". How about some facts?
3
I wonder if an attorney with 0 experience in gas and oil can secure $50k monthly payments as a board member.
I have a few friends that are retired execs on boards. They're nowhere close to 50k a month. Top guys make 100-250k a year on boards. It isn't for the money. It is a prestige job. Or a retirement job (see Ken Chenault after leaving Amex and getting put on the Facebook board).
One is on three boards, and he has 2 scholarship funds in his name. Point being, most Board members usually don't need the money and aren't getting slotted into foreign gas companies on fat payouts.
But somehow Hunter Biden secured huge payouts and Dems keep the lights on Trump (whom I do not agree with in any regard).
Funny how that works.
11
@Scott Wonder how Ivanka Trump got a seat on the board of Signature Bank, her incredible banking background?
7
@C.P. that back is at least tangentially relevant (based in Greenwich Ct) to the Trump family. Hunter Biden speak Ukrainian very well? Did he have many Ukrainian friends? Had he ever stepped foot in Ukraine prior to receiving his board seat? Not saying Ivanka has enough qualifications to sit in on a banks BoD, but you have to be pretty blind or partisan (or both) for Hunter Bidens position here to not raise questions in your mind.
1
Trump's phone call to Zelensky was supposed to be so simple a grounds for impeachment that the American public could readily understand it, as well as the belief that the the Ukraine under its new leader was a struggling democracy deserving of our support. Now, thanks to Trump, the right wing media, and this latest development, amplified by The Times headline linking it to Biden, obfuscates the issues.
7
@Alan J. Shaw
And I would add, agreeing with Elizabeth Drew in her recent Tiimes article, that the House should not put all its eggs in one basket in focusing solely on this in its inquiry and articles of impeachment.
This clearly highlights the grounds for the impeachment of Donald trump. And if the Ukrainian folks do this, they should be warned that an incoming Democratic Party administration will react swiftly and decisively to withdraw any aid or support.
1
Now the world can see that foreign aid is never done out of benevolence. The very act of giving creates a relation of dependence which can always be exploited later.
1
Hunter Biden was earning money for what every other former politician or family member of a politician does- creating the appearance of access. It is mildly unsavory. That is all.
5
I think Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared, both “special advisers” to the president should be investigated for their roles in the current administration. If we’re going to treat nepotism as automatically criminal, let’s start with those two.
25
@Michael They are not paid $600,000/year by the White House.
2
@Thierry Salmon
They are not paid by the White House, they are paid by tax-payers. And access to business and world leaders, insider information is potentially worth far, far more. Plus Jared has special security clearance courtesy of Trump despite intelligence assessments denying him and that is a bottomless gold mine.
@Thierry Salmon
You know very well that
Hunter Biden didn’t get paid $600,000 from the White House either. You also know very well that Ivanka, Jared, and Trump Inc businesses have generated millions for their empire since January 2017.
How can the U.S. take the results of Ukraine's investigation of the Bidens seriously? Ukraine is in a fight with Putin for their very existence! Trump admitted he withheld congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine then asked them for an inappropriate favor: investigate a political rival for wrong doing to harm the rival in the 2020 election. This is extortion by the president of the United States. We cannot trust the result of any Ukrainian review of the Bidens, at least until after the 2020 election. Our intelligence agencies KNEW about and were investigating the Trump/Russia relationship before the 2016 election. McConnell wrongly and successfully squelched this information from reaching the public in 2016! Any effort to inform the public about the Biden's alleged wrongs should not be allowed until after the 2020 election.
Congress needs to assure Ukraine future aid will continue as long as Ukraine doesn't either begin investigation or release any results of said investigation prior to the 2020 election and inauguration of the winner, after which they may release their results. This eliminates any hold Trump has over them.
However, it does nothing to mitigate the damage already done to the Bidens. These are sad times for our country. Trump has achieved Putin's goal of undermining our elections and standing in the world. Sort of sounds like Trump should be charged with treason to me.
3
They can either submit to Putin (who uses tanks) or Trump, who held back their salvation from Putin until they agreed to manufacture some dirt on his political adversaries. Strangely, submission to Trump in this case also benefits Putin because one goal seems to be to implicate someone other than Putin in the interference in our election in 2016.
4
The Guardian is reporting that the 15 cases that will be reviewed are all cases which occurred prior to Hunter Biden taking up employment with the gas company.
So, it appears that the Ukraine is giving Trump a headline without substance: excellent for Trump's typical smear campaigns.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/04/ukraine-to-review-legal-cases-amid-trump-claims-over-bidens
3
Wait for trump, along with his internet army of loyalists, who will see only the article's headline and without reading the article itself, will gloat and crow about Trump's vindication.
This is exactly what trump wanted from the Ukrainian government -- a headline insinuating that the Bidens were under investigation (when in fact, they're not). And the Ukrainian government, along with the NY Times, just handed it to trump on a silver platter. Way to go.
3
Trump announced yesterday the sale of 150 more javellin missles for Ukraine and today Ukraine announces they will investigate the son of Trump's rival. Quid pro quo. Hunter Biden did nothing wrong but Ukraine better make something up if they want more missles and aide. How long will the investigation take? Until the day after the U.S. election in 2020 so Trump can lie and say Bidens are corrupt so both sides are corrupt so you might as well vote for him. "Elections are rigged" said Trump and he was correct, cause he makes sure to rig them.
2
Here is the quid pro quo smoking gun, clear as day!
3
I believe that President Zelensky is caving to pressure from Trump. It appears that Ukraine got what They wanted on Thursday when the State Department started the approval process for the sale of 150 Javelin missiles.
I mean that's what the Ukraine needs so what was Zelensky supposed to do? His first priority is obviously the safety of his nation.
Meanwhile Trump is in our face roaming the world looking for foreign nations to extort so that he can get dirt on Biden. Our DOJ and State Department are all in on this campaign strategy to do what Trump wants. So he can say this openly on live TV while at the same time refusing any material or witnesses to Congress.
Crisis? Yah think?
The GOP want us to believe that it's all Shiff's fault (or Hillary or Obama) while Pompeo rides over the State Department to carry Trump's corruption. And we know AG Barr is a lost cause to Trumpville.
As we the people are told to wait until 2020 to cast our votes. That will stop him! There are no guarantees anymore about anything and waiting for 2020 is an option for disaster as Trump's open contempt for Congress, the rule of law and ethical behavior explodes upon our country.
1
@Elizabeth At least Trump allows the sale of Javelin missiles. Obama didn't allow the sale of any weapons to Ukraine. So who was doing Putin'game ?
2
let me guess, China will do that too.
Good Lord! What has happened to us?
Trump has destroyed this democracy. We're behaving like a 3rd world country now.
3
Sorry, but what’s wrong with Ukraine investigating possible Biden Jr and Sr corruption and quid pro quo? Recall that Senator Biden bragged that he got previous prosecutor fired - while said prosecutor was investigating Burisma. Seems the reporting is a bit one-sided. Come what may, Biden has sunk himself as a candidate - and good riddance!
4
Its not a quid pro quo, its magic.
1
Burisma is owned by an energy oligarch, who was a powerful minister of the previous Ukrainian government. As the "Minister of Environment" he controlled the gas and oil business of the Ukraine
That is Hunter Biden was hired by a corrupt member of the previous , highly corrupt, government. This seems relevant information
It also brings to mind
"A man is known by the company he keeps"
Aesop c. 620 – 564 BC
6
It doesn't matter if Ukraine finds any "dirt" on the Bidens. Trump will scream conspiracy either way and his supporters and cowardly Republicans in the senate will do nothing. It's becoming clear that no matter who the Democratic nominee is, Trump will make up lies in an attempt to smear them.
Will it work? The Republicans in the senate sold their souls a long time ago.
7
Democracy was fun while we had it.
1
Why Zelensky would tie himself to Trump's ship, when, in a little over a year, he'll be dealing with President Elizabeth Warren, baffles me...
1
Ironic there has been so much insitence that the US impeachment inquiry be done ASAP, whereas this "inquiry" will hang over Biden at least until election day, giving Trump Just what he desired.
2
I don't trust these guys!
1
Trump was caught setting up the Biden “favor” with the Ukrainian President. Because, the phone transcript that was hidden on a top secret server was revealed. That same server reportedly hides transcripts (or modified versions of them), between Trump and other world leaders. When will this Senate put Country first?
3
This "investigation" by Ukrainians is so obviously tainted by the extortion of Trump and Giuliani.
Let's just rid ourselves of these clowns and start the process of rebuilding our democracy, before it is too late.
4
I suppose Ukraine government fully comprehends that once the US Congress or the Presidency changes party, US support will be ....toast.
Everything Trump Touches withers .......
2
I think the House Democrats have put Biden, and themselves, on rather thin ice.
2
Just a routine review.
The fix is in.
2
While Ukraine is “investigating” the Bidens, all American “aid” must stop.
3
‘Does this dress make me look fat?’
We ask questions in a certain way to predispose the answer.
Good luck with that, Ukraine.
2
Trump is our president and he has right to ask for help in corruption which involves American citizen includes Joe and his son. The investigation is legal and legitimate. If Biden and his son did nothing wrong they should not worry about it. When it comes to federal election, don't forget Trump is also an candidate, Dems interferes federal election too we are watching.
6
@Jim That's not how it works. If Trump thinks Biden was involved in wrongdoing, it is the FBI that should be looking into it. Not a foreign government. Yes, even if the wrongdoing occurred in Ukraine.
4
@Jim - Trump can only win by cheating, so if you're okay with that, fine -- I am not and don't think most Americans are. Don't you find it the least bit unethical that the leader of the free world resorts to shaking down another country so he can gain power. The Bidens are not the issue here -- Trump is the issue -- he is a corrupt liar on every front -- look how he talks to the press -- the press serve you, not him, so it would be wise to remember that he's talking to you that way. The Dems are doing oversight -- something Repubs didn't do for two full years while they ran everything -- all they did was get a big tax break for the rich and get on judges who only want to represent the minority. We are all Americans and we all deserve representation -- right now the majority is being ignored and it's all because of Trump's corruption. Oh, and btw, Biden and his son have already been investigated. What's really going on here is that Trump is helping Russia take over Ukraine -- it's pretty simple and pretty corrupt and it's too bad that Trump supporters have so much hatred for their fellow Americans that they are willing to go along with this. Very sad!
4
@Jim
Well, the Constitution says it's illegal.
So you'll have to choose: either you decide to put America first and support the Constitution, or you support Trump ...
In a Constitutional Republic, it is CRUCIAL that a DOJ is independent from the president, and that ONLY federal prosecutors, based on what the laws says, decide when it's necessary to open an investigation.
And asking a president of a corrupt and totalitarian foreign country (Ukraine, China, ..) to force its prosecutors to open an investigation into an American citizen's activities, as Trump did here, is literally illegal.
We shouldn't be worried about Biden here (it has already been proven that he did nothing wrong anyhow) but about "law and order" and America itself.
And no, launching an impeachment is NOT what is legally called "interfering in an election", it's Congress' JOB to do so, remember?
4
And whether the investigators find at least something even slightly suspicious or clearly nothing at all depends on how the Ukrainians assess Trump's chances of staying in office. The president has drawn the Ukrainians very much against their will into a dangerous game of Russian (yes, Russian) roulette.
5
It seems we are living inside the TV show scandal. Fun as it was to watch on TV, it’s not the world I want for my children. How do we re-establish our institutions of trust and facts?
4
Vote.
Arguably, this is good strategy for Ukraine. It allows them to keep an eye on developments in Washington, play both sides of the fence and effectively remain neutral. If Trump surges, they stay in his grace. If the Democrats/Biden surge, then they can say they helped debunk Trump's lies.
3
While it may be true that Biden is "Trump's rival" it may also be true that former VP sought to use the influence of his office to further the private business interest of his son.
That's fertile ground for both public and private inquiry - there is no shield for past corrupt activities just because one is a current political candidate.
Were a similar standard of the Trump "impeachment inquiry" applied during the Obama reign of self-dealing and corruption, Holder, Clinton, Biden and Mr. Hopey Changey himself would all have been in the crosshairs.
The Obama's have gone from barely middle class when he was a part time law lecturer before becoming a very short term Senator, to having aquired multi-generational wealth (Netflix deal, etc.) shortly after his Presidency.
Who says politics doesn't pay and that folks from all parties don't seek to benefit from their time in office?
6
Interesting that Biden is the only Democratic party candidate who has really attempted to defend the honor of Republicans. It will be interesting to see how he feels if and when the Republican party fails to take any action against the President for extorting a foreign nation into smearing Biden's name.
2
This could be very good news. We need to know the truth about whether Biden and his son did anything nefarious re Ukraine or not. I tend to think not; but our House Committees should be looking at this. Lutsenko and Shokin have made contradictory claims as to what Ukraine was investigating in regards to Burmisma and Biden's son etc and we ought to try to find out just exactly what investigations were held and what they found - if anything - and what evidence was presented etc.
Also no one serving at high levels in our government should have anyone else in their family serving in such positions as Biden's son did or as Trump's son-in-law has and does re Israel, etc. So, we should be looking at this and passing legislation to ensure that such practices are illegal from now on. Plus the House ought to investigate VP Cheney's role in KBR and the Defense Contracts it received for work in Iraq while Cheney was VP and still receiving a retainer from the company. Talk about a serious egregious conflict of interest that never should have been allowed. That coupled with all of the lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq should have put him in jail for the rest of his life and still should.
7
Ukraine's bending to Trump's will will muddy the waters, be used as disinformation by the GOP, allow Trump to chortle in his helicopter "press conferences" and accelerate the moral decay of the presidency. Another sad day in the demise of democracy, American style. Good luck to the USA.
5
Ironic if Biden is not the nominee.
4
If The Ukraine is going to interfere in the US election by pursuing a repeatedly debunked story in order to help Trump rig another election then I vote to no longer send them ANY US aid.
4
I really hope that I'm wrong but even if the Democrats manages to convince the GOP that Trump got to go (don't hold your breath), the damage Trump has caused to America is extremely severe and probably permanent. He tapped into this destructive schism in America that has been festering for decades. And even worse, he has empowered the disenfranchised and fringe groups on the right while legitimizing in their eyes criminality, racism, misogyny, etc. Let's face it. Government, period, has let down the people and America for the sake of their personal careers and corporate backers. There's no stuffing this genie back into the bottle.
3
If Ukraine doesn't grant Trump his investigation, what does Russia do? Is that in the back of their mind as well?
There is NO question that Trump betrayed his oath of office.
Don't believe me, believe William Barr and the rest of the Trump White House that rushed to lock up the transcript that they knew was so incriminating.
This scandal is not "the Democrats" believing that what Trump did was corrupt. This is about his own handpicked Republican White House staff that had to commit a crime to cover up what they clearly knew was Trump's betrayal of his oath of office.
8
Sure investigate but how do they look like they're not kowtowing to Trump?
3
The only interesting question about this announced Ukrainian review is which will be more of a joke: this investigation or AG Barr's investigation of the investigators of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
2
The president's 2020 campaign and the RNC just announced a $13 million fundraising haul that came within 36 hours of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's inquiry.
Thank you democrats.
1
@Katie You're welcome. If republicans want to be despicable, they can.
1
This is the most infuriating headline I've encountered in years of infuriating headlines!
Does anyone doubt they'll deliver to for the Republicans? They have no choice. It's not arrogant to presume that a war ravaged country with a crumbling economy would deign to deliver on Donald's behalf.
4
So Ukraine is bowing to Trump’s demands. They will re-investigate a case which has already found Hunter Biden innocent because that isn’t the verdict Trump wants.
4
The hubris and arrogance of Joe Biden's corruption is breathtaking as it is clueless. This ultimate insider who imagines he can still become President had no qualms of using his office to funnel a poor nation's money to a ne'er do well son, for the world to see. (You got a problem with that?) This is an embarrassment to Americans who still like to think our country is above such obvious shakedowns. Our more sophisticated betters however explain that the real problem is a President who would have a foreign government - all together now - interfere in our election. Biden's fellow beltway elites likewise have no clue, or particularly care, how middle class sensibilities will likely judge.
4
Our democracy and our process of electing the POTUS is now being handed over and trusted to foreign governments! The GOP in their zeal to keep Trump in the WH, have sold their souls to Trump and the devil. My father and my uncle, both veterans of WWII and Vietnam respectively, are turning in their graves!
2
Is Ukraine bowing to public and private pressure from the president of the United States, on which it has depended on for millions of dollars in aid?
Please, this sounds more like a rhetorical question than a legitimate one.
The timing of these investigations is beyond coincidental.
Strangely while no evidence of wrongdoing was ever discovered by the previous Ukraine prosecutor of Mr. Biden or his son, those findings just aren’t good enough for Trump.
Once again, it boils down to manufacturing some kind of story or allegation that points to wrongdoing even though nothing ever pointed to Biden and his son.
Could it be because the Ukraine president is fearful of losing his millions of dollars in aid if he DOESN’T proceed with this investigation?
Beyond pathetic and egregious.
4
Amazing!! When the focus was Trump and Russian interference, the false media was all over it. Now that there is the possibility of investigating Joe Biden for wrong doing, the fake media wants to twist the facts yet again.
4
Everything Trump is doing gets added to evidence for impeachment or article 25.
Trump is losing both his mind and his presidency and will fight hard and play dirty. Sorry, world. A majority of Americans are as horrified as most of you.
3
Biden and Trump are cut from the same cloth. Both are sleazy politicians. Neither are fit for office, they need to go.
2
Ukraine says, we might as well investigate Hunter Biden. It has already been paid for by Washington.
3
This is a joke, because Trump has already shown that he will not help the Ukraine if he doesn't get the information he wants and the way he wants it.
Any information from a foreign nation has to be questioned now, because we know that Trump is coercing them and that info could be and probably is false.
1
It has not been emphasized enough in any media reports that a quid pro quo is not necessary in order to impeach a president.
The very fact that a president asks a favor of a foreign head of state to dig up dirt to help that president win an election is an impeachable offense: inviting foreign assistance - and interference - into our elections. Yes, it has been stated, but not often enough to enter the common discourse over impeachment.
6
Corruption on both ends, and some in the middle too. Nicely balanced.
1
OK. There it is. The quid pro quo.
The aid was released and now the investigation is proceeding. It now doesn't matter if there was a quid pro quo in the July phone call. It has in fact played out. It is no longer fake news.
3
What I see as questionable here (besides Trump being the most contemptible open book in the entire human race) is the level of priority Biden and his son are in terms of investigation-worthy corruption offenses as well as the timing of this announcement on the part of the Ukrainians.
It could be that the Ukrainians are playing 3D chess to both expose Trump and eliminate the pressure he's applying on their domestic politics. Or it could be just another depressing day for ethics in the political sphere.
1
The impeachment drama will likely take a year to complete.
Without US military assistance, The Ukraine as we know it may cease to exist in less than a year.
The Ukraine had no choice.
3
It is illegal for a sitting President to enrich himself, or his family, from his office. Interestingly enough our system does not care if a sitting Vice President uses his office to enrich himself and his family. It's called the Constitution Mr. Trump and it still means something to Democrats.
4
trump's corruption and criminality are working well for his muddying of the waters of the cesspool he inhabits.
2
Is it possible that Trump tried to get the FBI to investigate the Bidens for corruption and it went nowhere? We know he has involved Australia. We heard him beg China to investigate. We have been informed repeatedly that previous investigations did not bear fruit. Ukrainian officials have told him there was no corruption. Now they are re-opening an investigation into the son of a candidate running for the chance to oppose him in the 2020 election.
Donald Trump isn't focused on cleansing the world of corruption. He is bound and determined to somehow get some entity to investigate Joe Biden's son and soil his competitor through association.
Trump can't even cheat successfully, and yet the Republicans will not stand up to him. What is it they're afraid of?
3
Ukraine has forgotten Trump will not be President forever, Republicans' rule of the roost will expire at some point.
On that day they can kiss US support good-bye.
Its not what they're doing (go ahead boys investigate your butts off) its why. Corruption, disrespect, sinister greed.
You could have been a pretty good country...but that's over now, isn't it?
Who would have thought you would be a far more dangerous enemy that Putin? But there you have it.
2
@oogada The US needs Ukraine to oppose Russia. The Ukraine knows that. They will never have to kiss US support good-bye.
Adam Schiff was rightly criticized for his Mafia Don parody in the House Committee hearing, but the more I hear about this case, the more it does sound like The Godfather: "Someday, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me."
It seems like that day has come.
Let’s embrace this Ukrainian ‘’audit” of previous cases.
The fact is that Hunter Biden probably did nothing illegal when he accepted a $50K/month board salary, despite having no qualifications. Sadly, this type of corrupt influence peddling has become not only legal, but common among the DC elite of both parties.
Yes, Joe Biden lied about never having involvement with his son’s business dealings (pictures of golf outings don’t lie), but it’s not clear that he technically broke any laws when he threatened to withhold aid unless the Ukrainian investigator was fired.
The Ukrainian audit will likely not find any provable, legal wrongdoing.
It will just continue to remind American voters how much swamp gas actually stinks.
4
@John
Technically, if Biden didn't break any laws with his demand, then neither did Trump.
So yes, technicalities and precedent matter. The Constitution does not distinguish between the President and VP in matters such as this. They're both administrative officers.
Trump's extortion pays off. He didn't care so much about the actual bogus investigation, more importantly he wanted Ukraine to publicly announce that they were investigating, to tarnish the reputation of his political opponent. That just happened.
3
This is all part of our so-called president's strategy. Sow the seeds of suspicion even though there is no evidence. And his minions will believe whatever comes out of his mouth. Our country has been changed forever and I am sad that we may never be the same....
175
@Mimi H
You say there is no evidence of corruption on the part of the Bidens. I do not believe there has been any formal investigation of the Biden/Burisma connection, only press coverage. Following is a quote from a NYT article yesterday"
"With his latest attacks on the Bidens, Mr. Trump is 'desperately clutching for conspiracy theories that have been debunked and dismissed by independent, credible news organizations,' Kate Bedingfield, Mr. Biden’s deputy campaign manager, said in a statement." Are we to understand news organizations considered "independent and credible" by the Biden campaign can exonerate Mr. Biden and his son? Seems a little too convenient.
1
Many board members at most corporations are on the board because of their influence not their expertise or experience. This is called Capitalism.
29
I think this pre-dates capitalism—if you consider the ‘assignment’ of royal family members (mostly princesses) to another nations ruling families in Europe in a similar light. Oh yeah, and didn’t JPMorgan get caught hiring some Chinese ‘Princelings’ that had little or no qualifications other than as being children of Chinese VIPs?
Hunter Biden was appointed to the board because his last name is Biden. It is not unusual for an influential person or one with a famous last name to be appointed to a company’s board…even if the person has no experience in whatever it is the company is selling. Whether it’s smart of the company to do this is another matter, but it is not corrupt or illegal. General James Mattis was on the board at Theranos. And it wasn’t because he knew anything about blood testing. If Megan McCain’s last name had been McGillicuddy, she’d be at home watching The View instead of on the show.
156
@Sue M.
Absolutely.
So let’s get it out in the open.
Joe Biden should issue a statement acknowledging that his son received $50K/month and a private investment deal in China simply because of the connection to his father.
And then let the American voters judge if that is corrupt or not.
6
It's probably not illegal, but it IS corrupt. Using Theranos as an example was perhaps surprisingly apt.
3
What is considered corruption in other countries by other countries and Washington, Washington for itself calls such actions Lobbying. How very convenient, safe and selfserving!
7
@Moen
As far as Trump's concerned Putin is his top lobbyist.
So is the prince of Saudi Arabia.
The real question for everyone reading this and making Trump's actions some sort of moral equivalency is this: How low can you go.
1
Ukraine's Prosecuter service is "beyond politics"? That may be true but he people that work inside the prosecutor's office are not likely independent. We are dealing with a former Soviet state not yet able to defend itself against the Russians without President Trump's executive orders to deploy cash and military arms at whatever price Mr. Trump decides is a fair exchange.
If there is any good that comes from this episode, it is that the Executive office needs bipartisan reform and updates to secure American interests instead of the office of the President's political self-dealings.
9
It would seem that corruption is a big problem and that just doing any business in the Ukraine means operating with people who are mired in it. Easy for people who misrepresent facts to use that to make people who prefer what they want to believe to have excuses to do what they want to do, contrary to what the real facts reasonably justify.
Biden did not act in order to favor his son but as our government requested along with many other governments, to address corruption in the Ukraine. Trump and his partners assert a false equivalency to Trump’s behavior to Biden’s. Trump’s acts were about publicizing dirt on a political opponent in a Presidential campaign obtained with Presidential authority. This was done by intimidating a recipient of military assistance to prioritize investigation of corruption of a particular entity before all others. A clear violation of President’s oath if confirmed.
26
I don't care how many country's he asks, this will never be normal. I will never forget his unAmerican, relentless assault on the Constitution.
91
So what happens if they complete the investigation before the US election (unlikely) and find nothing on Bidens? or if they take their time and it drags out past the US election (most likely)? What would Trump do in either case - pull aid because his "plan" doesn't work out?
Trump is backing himself into another corner... no matter what happens, he'll bring it up until it's resolved to his satisfaction, and go ballistic if they find nothing. Trump's obsessions are driving him into a total mental breakdown.
20
"... and find nothing on Bidens?"
That doesn't matter. It's the smear that matters.
"... and go ballistic if they find nothing."
Obviously you don't know how Trump thinks. Trump will simply find another way to discredit his political enemies.
2
Ukraine is making a grievous error appeasing Trump. Russia will see to it in the end and there will be no further help from America. Trump will not last forever either.
31
Times: "The sale of the javelins to Ukraine must still go through Congress."
Ordinarily, Congress sends bills to the President, so that sentence has it backwards.
And there is an important implication -- the President cannot hold up aid if that aid has not been approved by Congress.
The Times needs to explain that process better.
4
@EML
No it doesn't.
You need to watch the Grammar Rock commercial "I'm Just A Bill."
And this is how Trump wins. Turn nothing into something, have right-wing media hammer it ad nauseam, and voila, truth is made.
75
What would you say if Trump had insisted that a country's prosecutor be fired or $1.1B in aid would not be granted?
And if that prosecutor were investigating Trump Jr, who was receiving vast sums for work for which he was not qualified in that country?
Would you raise questions? Would you state this is asking foreign influence? A quid pro quo?
Or, would you say this is a conspiracy theory because you like Trump?
11
@R. R.
"What would you say if Trump had insisted that a country's prosecutor be fired or $1.1B in aid would not be granted?"
LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR. BIDEN, THE BRITISH, AND THE UKRANIANS, ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS, WANTED SAID PROSECUTOR REMOVED BECAUSE HE WAS NOT LOOKING INTO THE CORRUPTION OF THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY ON WHOSE BOARD BIDEN'S SON WAS A MEMBER. THE PROSECUTOR WAS REFUSING TO LOOK INTO IT. THAT IS WHY THEY WANTED HIM REMOVED.
38
@R. R.
The answers to your questions are found in several credible news outlets, including this one.
I'll save you the trouble of googling though:
What would you say if Trump had insisted that a country's prosecutor be fired or $1.1B in aid would not be granted?
- the prosecutor was well known by the international community and the pentagon of being corrupt. Also, Biden was acting in conjunction with several other countries and official state department policy to remove this corrupt man from this position. Are you claiming that it was a conspiracy cooked up by Biden to dupe several foreign countries and our own intelligence community to kick out a prosecutor that had already investigated the company his son worked for, and deemed they did nothing wrong? Why would he kick out a prosecutor that already determined his son's company did nothing wrong?
And if that prosecutor were investigating Trump Jr, who was receiving vast sums for work for which he was not qualified in that country?
- How much is Jared Kushner getting paid to develop a middle east peace plan? How much are his companies benefiting from the connections he is making over there on "official" government business? And to answer your question, the prosecutor was not investigating Biden's son, the allegations were dropped well before he was replaced.
So, I would say it's a conspiracy theory because it has no basis in fact - facts that are regularly available should you choose to look for them.
5
@R. R. and matty - Matty, add the IMF to your list...
2
This takes Trump's criminal violation of election laws from merely soliciting something of value to actually receiving something of value from a foreign nation. Irrespective of the outcome of Ukraine's new investigation, its mere existence will besmirch Biden. If its result is to find no wrongdoing by Biden, Trump will simply claim that this new investigation was corrupt, and he will withhold foreign aid to Ukraine thus helping Putin. With the exception of the Civil War, the United States is at its lowest point ever. We must get rid of Trump.
35
Should also note that Zlochevsky, the co-founder/owner of Burisma was under investigation for unjust enrichment and money laundering while he served as Minister of Natural Resources under pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych, who ultimate had to flee Ukraine. The UK froze $23M in assets in 2014 under suspicion of money laundering.
Shokin, the prosecutor that Biden got fired, had promised to investigate Zlochevsky when he took office, instead slow walked the investigation to the point where the UK was forced to release the $23M for lack of evidence.
The US (including Republican Senators), EU, and IMF called for the dismissal of Shokin in 2016, who again was refusing to investigate Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma. Biden delivered that message with a threat to withhold aid.
So to clarify - the investigation was of Zlochevsky. Burisma was only involved because it was suspected that Zlochevsky potentially laundered money through it, other wise I find that Burisma did nothing wrong. Hunter Biden was never under investigation. Shokin was fired for not investigating Zlochevsky and others.
16
@SXM What was the reason Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma? I would speculate that with Joe Biden being Obama's lead guy in propping up Ukraine with Russia knocking, it would be shrewd to have a connection, such as a board member who's a blood relative of the main man. But I want to hear more about the Chinese $1B deal. That's even more yumyum. But Joe should not have let Hunter on that board. F'sure he must regret it.
1
@SXM There are many problems with this statement, which parrots without attribution Michelle Goldberg's defense of Biden against "lies." But the glaring one is that Ambassador Pyatt did not urge Prosecutor General Shokin fired in his Sept 24, 2015 statement--he arranged for Shokin and his office to get more money, as well as formation of the independent NABU activists.
https://web.archive.org/web/20170107041643/https://ukraine.usembassy.gov/statements/ambpyatt-odesa-finforum-09242015.html
>>We applaud the work of the newly-established Inspector General’s office in the PGO led by David Sakvarelidze and Vitaliy Kasko....
in the case of former Ecology Minister Mykola Zlochevsky, the U.K. authorities had seized 23 million dollars in illicit assets that belonged to the Ukrainian people. Officials at the PGO’s office were asked by the U.K to send documents supporting the seizure. Instead they sent letters to Zlochevsky’s attorneys attesting that there was no case against him. ....
the United States signed a Joint Action Plan with Deputy Prosecutor General Sakvarelidze to provide 2 million dollars in U.S. assistance to support reform, anticorruption, and capacity building at the PGO...We want to work with Prosecutor General Shokin so the PGO is leading the fight against corruption. We want the Ukrainian people to have confidence in the Prosecutor General’s Office,<<
The only case mentioned is that against Zlochevsky. VP Biden's firing of Shokin did not re-open the case.
The Republican leadership in the Senate are allowing the Trump family to sack our country.
Sadly the greatest generation isn't here to save us.
28
Of course they are bowing to pressure. Was part of the deal they had to come up with dirt even if they have to invent it?
13
Scotland! Please investigate the sale of overpriced aviation fuel to the US military at your regional airports.
China! Please investigate the granting of patents and trademarks to the president's daughter while our trade war continues with no sign of resolution.
71
@Julian Fernandez
THIS.
Why isn’t the press hitting back harder with putting these stories front and center TODAY?
6
@Julian Fernandez I agree!! Nothing is being said about the millions the Trumps are raking in from their own involvement with China...……. Tit for tat, anyone? But that would mean that we're stooping to their level? Tsk tsk tsk.
3
Another example of Trump's successful gambling ploy in doubling down in a poker bluff. Trump has now succeeded in getting the new Ukrainian top prosecutor to give credence to his lies by reopening this investigation when the previous one turned up nothing. How is this different from Trump's dogged pursuit of birtherism, a lie he perpetrated until one day early in his presidency when he was forced by political expediency to grudgingly whisper, "Barack Obama was born in the United States."
Again he is dragging the American people through the mud.
24
This news may not be all bad. If they audit and find nothing wrong with the Biden's, it should put this issue to bed.
Let's just hope this new prosecutor does the right thing.
6
Oh I'm sure Trump will just accept that. He definitely will let it go and never bring it up again.
Have you not been watching this guy? He didn't let the Obama birther thing go even after seeing his birth certificate.
1
Ukraine has strong support in the Congress and, criminal presidents notwithstanding, should be able to count on getting American aid well into the future. Or it could have until this foolish announcement. I suppose they may be thinking that taking advantage of the controversy and "being tough" on corruption would play well at home. Maybe. It would have been far more responsible to announce three reviews and more to come in the future.
4
So, either the extortion worked or Ukraine is paying lip service to Trump's criminal demands. Let's hope it's the latter. Nevertheless, impeach.
12
...and there’s the payoff to Mr. Trump’s extortion threats. Please proceed with impeachment.
10
An open conspiracy by the president and his staff plays out in real time.
One thing is sure. The election has been tampered with. The damage is done as far as Biden in concerned.
Republicans are no strangers to rank hypocrisy. That trump would accuse a political opponent of using US influence for the personal gain of his family while contemporaneously using US influence for personal political gain is par for the course.
15
@Chris
I’m just beside myself that no one is publicly asserting this fact. Trump’s children are doing far worse NOW and not one newspaper or media outlet is pointing this out, let alone the Democratic Party.
1
Again, this is distraction from the fact that Trump has bribed a foreign country by withholding military aid while they are being invaded by Russia, in order to investigate a political rival. This is also Putin’s wish that he potentially whispered in this corrupt president’s ear: weaken Ukraine so we can take it.
Putin just won! Ukraine has been forced by Putin to hold open elections in Eastern Ukraine where Russian insurgents have taken hold!
All of this a consequence of a maniacal president who will do anything to stay out of jail! Remember, he will be prosecuted by New York State if he does not win.
This is not a partisan issue. He is issuing death threats on twitter almost everyday; another high crime and misdemeanor.
11
This about open elections and insurgents in Eastern Ukraine is ridiculous, Eastern Ukraine is populated by Russian speaking citizens. Why should they not hold open elections; why should the people not be able to determine whether they want to be a part of Russia or the Ukraine?
Russia is not necessarily the "bad guy" here.
Rob
Just wondering, doesn’t the IRS also investigate when large sums of foreign money flow into Americans accounts?
4
We must take a deep breath and recognise what is happening. Ukraine is now a player in the US election. I cannot value the Ukraine for this. It was handed to them on to a silver plate. Now, other countries will also begin playing this game to see what It gets them. Today will be known as the day the US government became officially for sale...and I am a US citizen living in Germany. It saddens me to write this. I hope I am wrong.
10
Looks a lot like the Swift Boat lies of Rove and Bush 2, only more suited to our more global world. Repubs will stop at nothing to finish off the middle class they destroyed, while getting those same folks to vote for the new (global) oligarchs' agenda. Amazing America!
9
The Ukraine’s have made their choice. Instead of staying neutral in this matter and relied on the results in hand, they have given in to the Trump pressure. Wether they find anything or not, they have given Trump a “Drum to Beat” !! If they think this will protect their Funding, they should know that involving themselves in the US Election has consequences!! They should know that NO Democratic Congress will ever approve future Funding for their Defense, it will never get out of the House and they can defend themselves without US support and find themselves between a useless Trump and a hungry Putin!!
5
@Tom McCormack We are not defending Ukraine to benefit Ukraine. We are defending them to prevent Russian expansion.
This American does not subscribe to forcing foreign entities into our politics. And this American definitely does not want our president ignoring our constitution and acting like he has royal powers, His ignorance is no excuse.
7
The Ukrainian prosecutor’s mere announcement of his intent to review of the previous prosecutor’s cases including the Burisma matter is a propaganda gift to Trump even if no such review actually takes place. Time to find out what Ukraine was promised in exchange for it.
20
This is a brilliant strategy by Ukraine because it let's all sides spin this as a win. Democrats can say Trump has succeeded in corruptly influencing a foreign government to influence our election. Trump can say Biden is under investigation in Ukraine and that he is the one responsible for reducing corruption in Ukraine not Biden. Threading a needle indeed. It's a wonder who's been helping Ukraine sew this one up? No names mentioned ... Chris Coons.
3
There you have it. The QUO for Trump's QUID.
But wait! What do YOU have to offer us there China??
(We've already done our part you know.)
We've not commented on Hong Kong, so....we are waiting.
7
It was revealed yesterday that officials in Michael Pompeo’s State Department had, after that July 25 telephone call, drafted a kind of “statement of particulars” for the Ukrainian government to use as its justification in opening an investigation into the gas company that once employed Hunter Biden.
This announcement today can’t possibly be the “quo” for the Trump administration’s “quid.” Now, could that be remotely possible? Those javelin missiles don’t come cheap; do they?
6
This is terrifying.
7
Trump TRULY believes the Republicans will not convict him in the Senate.
He IS steps ahead. He is continuing to execute his plan to get an taint on Biden he can.
All because, his party is lawless. Not just him.
The country is lost.
8
Burisma is essentially Benghazi 2.0. Another manufactured conspiracy without any basis in fact that Republicans will attempt to use to discredit another Democratic presidential contender. The Republican base will largely believe the lie and use it to justify Trump’s many real transgressions. In 2015-16 Fox News kept repeating the lie as a mantra (Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi...). The new manufactured rallying lie for 2019-20 will be Burisma, Burisma, Burisma.
7
The fix is in. Instead of spreading democracy to Ukraine, the United States is spreading autocracy.
7
If Democrats nominate Biden, they're sunk. Guilt or innocence is irrelevant. The entire 2020 campaign will simply be a repeat of 2016. They need to nominate someone younger without ANY potentially questionable links to any foreign country or big pharma, which means Bernie is out too. He's on video saying bread lines are a good thing. The clip will play millions of times on social media. Context no longer matters if it takes more than 10 seconds to show or explain. Even then it often doesn't.
6
@Kerrielou
Yes, add your comment to all the other commenters who are posting this false equivalency about the Bidens.
It would appear that Trump's plan to use a foreign government to sow division among Democrats is working.
@Kerrielou Anyone they nominate will be smeared, unless their chances of beating Trump are so minimal they don't have to. Unfortunately, that would be true of virtually every Democratic contender except Biden.
@Kerrielou
Yes, please do nominate someone far left of center and let's see that goes.
Remember George McGovern? If not, please dust off some old history books and take a look.
Everyone's curious about what Hunter Biden was doing in Ukraine, but people seem to have forgotten Trump trying to get a deal in Russia for a Trump Tower Moscow. One is president, and the other is a private citizen and son of another private citizen who probably isn't going to be the nominee.
24
I’m glad you feel that way. It certainly excuses from scrutiny any business interests that are working in foreign countries if they don’t have any personal political connections.
There is a 'meta-question' I keep tryin to raise. The United States, for at least the past generation, is officially on record as not recognizing any need to follow international law whether through the United Nations, through international courts, or through bilateral and multinational contracts. I think most Americans do not recognize this fact. but the rest of the world certainly does. This allows Armerican wars of choice and unilateral breaking of contacts and agreement, as well as economic and political pressure on other nations on a scale no nation would permit within its borders.
This raises a serious question which no American administration has ever presented to the citizens of the United States for opinion. Is this situation acceptable to American citizens as an accurate reflection of their true beliefs and interests or should it be remedied? Secodary to that (and relevant to the issue here in question) do the American citizens generally want foreign countries to point out when American governments are flouting international laws and standards. or would they prefer to be left in perhaps profiable ignorance?
Personaly, I believe we (the American people, not the government) should ask China, Ukaine, and all other nations to tell us when we violate international standards . . . and we should listen.
20
@Ted Reynolds
Absolutely agree we should be part of a lawful global community, and we shouldn't need other countries to point out our violations. Either we stand for the rule of law or we don't.
No democracy functions for long or credibly without an independent judiciary, a free press, fair elections, and the rule of law. In our own country we have compromised all of these institutions and are in danger of losing any claim to moral or political global leadership as a democracy.
19
Thanks Ted, excellent observations that the NYT ought to report on. I have represented various civil society organizations at the UN for the past 20 some years. I can tell you from following UN processes that the US has the worst record of any country in signing on to and ratifying UN treaties and conventions. And even worse we have probably violated the UN Charter more times than any other. Every time the US has attacked another country it has been a violation of the UN Charter and often of the Geneva Conventions. The international community should not put up with it but should instead suspend our UN membership if and when it occurs - but probably won’t because our economy is so large that we contribute inordinately to the UN budget and specialized agencies and programs.
These violations of the UN Charter are also a violation of the US Constitution - Article 25 of which states that any international treaty that the US ratifies, such as the UN Charter, becomes the supreme law of the land. It is a pity that we have never lived up to this ideal and mandate. Hopefully after the next election our congress and new president will correct this situation and begin to sign onto and strive to ratify as many international agreements that we are still not a part of as possible.
6
"The United States ... is officially on record as not recognizing any need to follow international law [in numerous situations]."
That's a gross over-generalization. The US has objected to certain provisions in SPECIFIC cases. For example, the US usually does not allow US service members to be tried in foreign courts.
Anyway, you have the burden of proof, so cite a *very* reliable source for your over-generalization.
1
I feel enraged by this development, but I believe (and hope) it will backfire for Trump and the GOP.
One of two outcomes seems inevitable: Either the audit will determine there is no need to (re)open an investigation into Burisma / the Bidens -- an outcome that effectively exonerates the Bidens and confirms that Trump / Giuliani are hatchet men -- or the investigation is reopened. The reopening of the investigation will be seen, correctly, as a direct consequence of Trump's pressuring a foreign power to meddle in a domestic election. And any allegations of misconduct against the Bidens resulting from any such "investigation" will be completely discredited from the start as a politically driven hit job.
Either way, it will be bad news for Trump and the GOP in the upcoming impeachment process focusing on his abuses of office to sway the 2020 election.
11
@Kevin The real question is - did VP Biden act in a corrupt manner and did his son benefit from because his father used his position as VP to give him an advantage? If so, the public needs to know. Based on the facts that Biden junior received a high paying position in a Ukraine based company for a job he was not qualified for at the time his father was dealing with Ukraine - does not look good.
I doubt the veracity of any probe initiated by Ukraine about this subject after months and months of pressure by trump and his political hit-men. Finding dirt on Biden is a foregone conclusion because trump's people will manufacture it.
"You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war." William Randolph Hearst.
This still does not alter the fact that trump solicited another foreign country to help him in an election campaign.
The more interesting question is, will Republicans accept this as business as usual for elections going forward?
39
@rslay
What's wrong with unearthing corruption about any US presidential candidate. Isn't better to know BEFORE the election rather than wait till after the the winner is subject to blackmail? Trump or anyone else who pressures any govt. for this kind of information is to be praised, not condemned.
@rslay :Did Hilary and the Democrats do the same thing plus fund her foundation?
@karl hatten Short answer: No.
You really should move beyond right wing discredited talking points.
Investigation, particularly if that transparent, is no no use to normalize its relation with the US so long Trump remains American President. Autocrats and dictators do not much care about investigation or truth or national interest. They want all their whims and prejudices supported and fulfilled by anyone who want its blessing/help.
In short, Ukraine needs to declare what Trump wants- 1) Joe Biden (who carers about his son) was (better, if Ukraine can make somehow it in present tense) guilty of some kind of fraud, corruption of just anything; 2) It's Ukraine and not Putin's Russia was did all interference in 2016 US election.
But Ukraine also keep in mind that Trump is a passing phase in US politics and, more importantly, their country needs a transparent and credible Govt that its own citizens can trust. And this episode is now beyond either Ukraine or Trump's control. So they better be careful of how they get involved in it.
8
"It raised questions about whether Ukraine was, in effect, bowing to public and private pressure from the president of the United States, on which it has depended on for millions of dollars in aid."
Raises questions? I don't think so--the questions have been just answered by this decision, coming on the heels of an investigation and coverup related to what amounts to extortion in Trump's July 25 phone call.
What an appalling display of thugishness by the president of the United States.
81
The Ukraine, like Russia drank the American Cool Aid in the 90's as the old Soviet Union dissolved. The fact that it did so peacefully is due to the leadership of Gorbachev, a feat for which he gets little credit.
American consultants were brought in to change the old Soviet economy into a modern capitalist state. And they did so by applying a shock doctrine.
Fearing that gradual change would retain many features of socialism the Americans demanded a total abandonment of the old system. The Ukraine, like Russia immediately plunged into poverty and the only way out was to sell off the state assets to generate capital.
And it was from this fire sale that the oligarchs and their Western collaborators were born. Bankers, economists and stock brokers descended on the Ukraine each eager for a piece of this new action.
Billions exchanged hands. Some of it obviously under the table. Whether Hunter Biden was involved in any criminal activity has neither been alleged (by anyone other than Trump) nor proven.
But to appoint him to a lucrative board at the time his father was the key to a billion dollar loan should at least raise some concern.
Hunter Biden had no experience in the energy business and was by trade a Washington lobbyist. Maybe that's why he was appointed. But, there are many ways to curry favor with Washington and many while questionable, are quite legal.
But some are not. And at least making sure which side of the line this one fell is worth an inquiry.
9
"What could possibly go wrong?" This new meme seems appropriate as an unhinged president spotlights troubling cases of familial enrichment by one of his potential rivals in the next election.
The Great American Middle has grown weary of and disgusted by a political system that does not work for our collective best interests. This is as true in "Flyover Country" as it is across the divides of race, gender, income, and faith. Stale bread and two-ring circuses will not calm the masses.
What could possibly go wrong? We could be reduced to a state of perpetual stalemate and enervating political bloodletting.
Putin has accomplished his goals on the cheap with China reaping the benefits.
8
Doesn't the mere fact of this investigation prove that Trump's invitation to a foreign country to interfere in a free, democratic, US election was effective, and therefore impeachable?
65
@Paul McGlasson
The President’s request is sufficient basis for impeachment. Just the request. No quid pro quo, independent of outcome. Just the request.
Like Trump, the company is under audit over taxes. And Trump is trying to interfere in both for his own personal gain.
8
An investigation into Biden's involvement in Ukraine no longer can be passed off as "done, nothing found". Not even if that was the case. This will hurt Biden regardless of what may not be found. But in the final analysis Trump's self-centered rantings will hurt him more in the eyes of the American voters. Trump has exposed his own failings by his behavior much more than he has hurt Biden's chance of becoming POTUS.
5
Can someone explain how the public can trust previous investigations by either the Obama Administration or the former Ukrainian administration involving the Bidens?
I'm skeptical of the optics surrounding Hunter Biden's role at the gas company and have yet to read a compelling explanation that settles my fears and chalks up his tenure at the company as "normal". We've given Trump more scrutiny to the point where I'm surprised how little sticks to him in terms of actual criminal conduct (more behavioral conduct).
In the case of the former Ukrainian administration, if they did an investigation, how reliable are those Ukrainian officials conducting the investigation, because that region seems to be stifled by corruption allegations and charges - which is in part why their current president got elected. Similarly, how does the American public trust the intelligence apparatus in our country when there's opaque transparency by the media in how our intelligence community conducts investigations, let alone the findings of major investigations.
I think it's the media's responsibility, in part, to report this information in a simplified manner so someone with a middle school diploma can follow along and comprehend clearly what happened. If it's not clear enough for the layman to understand, then it's irresponsible for the public to make a judgement for or against one position or another - an above-the-board investigation should settle these questions, not confuse people further.
3
@Julian
"I'm skeptical of the optics surrounding Hunter Biden's role at the gas company "
You go right ahead and be skeptical. The rest of us will focus on the REAL issue: Presidential ABUSE OF POWER, DENIAL AND COVER UP.
1
Trump is not going to come out of this well, but neither is Joe Biden, innocent or not, legal or not. Hunter Biden was grifting on the family name and his father will now pay the price.
22
If ‘grifting on the family name’ is such a terrible thing, why are Ivanka and Jared getting a free pass? Guess it’s only bad when your opponent’s family does it...
3
@tls
I agree except that Trump will come out of this as President and Joe will go home.
@tls "Grifting"? So, someone offers you 50K a month to sit on your butt in an office just because of your last name, and you'd say "No"? How moral everyone commenting anonymously on the Internet is!
2
Is Ukraine bowing to public and private pressure from the president of the United States, on which it has depended on for millions of dollars in aid?
Please, this sounds more like a rhetorical question than a legitimate one.
The timing of these investigations is beyond coincidental.
Strangely while no evidence of wrongdoing was ever discovered by the previous Ukraine prosecutor of Mr. Biden or his son, those findings just aren’t good enough for Trump.
Once again, it boils down to manufacturing some kind of story or allegation that points to wrongdoing even though nothing ever pointed to Biden and his son.
Could it be because the Ukraine president is fearful of losing his millions of dollars in aid if he DOESN’T proceed with this investigation?
16
@Marge Keller
"Could it be because the Ukraine president is fearful of losing his millions of dollars in aid if he DOESN’T proceed with this investigation?"
No? You think so !
The farther one goes into Central and then into Eastern Europe, the thicker and murkier the corruption. It's the way things have always been done there. It's the borderlands of Western Civilization.
1
Looking for the "Quid Pro Quo? Look no farther.
Quid Pro Quo is a Latin phrase which has been explained in the English vernacular as a "favor for a favor"
trump asked for a favor and got his favor granted for a visit to the White House and a release of funds for Ukrainian defense.
Next will be an announcement that the Ukrainians will be investigating the 2016 Election meddling to prove Russia did not interfere so that Russian Sanctions are lifted.
22
It must be clear to everyone that Trump withheld aid to Ukraine, our ally, thus undermining their ability to fight our enemy, Russia, in order to pressure them into manufacturing fake evidence he could use against a political ally.
Even if you insist on being blind to the obvious connection between aid and requests for investigations, Trump is clearly using his power as the President not to further American interests - what American interests could be served by investigating a widely debunked conspiracy theory even Trump's people tried to pursuade him was paranoid nonsense - using power as President to further his own political needs. Which is certainly a misuse of Presidential powers. And which is certainly corrupt. And which needs to be met with removal from office to prevent other Presidents from acting in kind.
9
If this is actually an investigation into the owner of Burisma, then this is the very investigation V.P. Biden was calling for when he (and most of the rest of the free world) called for the firing of the PREVIOUS prosecutor, who was NOT investigating this guy - who is credibly accused by the British of money laundering. However, if this is just another fishing expedition into "bad stuff about Biden and his son", then that's another story.
7
You can bet that the Trump administration has already written the final report for the Ukrainian prosecution. Ukraine knows that if they don't do this now, and Trump wins in 2020, an invasion by Russia will not be challenged by the United States.
17
Sadly, the findings of the investigation are already written and provided by Rudy and Pompeo. The only issue is timing of the announcement of those "results" - let's say around late Sept or early Oct 2020?
8
Investigation, particularly if that's transparent, is of no use to normalize its relation with the US so long Trump remains American President. Autocrats and dictators do not much care about investigation or truth or national interest. They want all their whims and prejudices supported and fulfilled by anyone who want its blessing/help.
In short, Ukraine needs to declare what Trump wants, i.e.-
1) Joe Biden (who carers about his son) was (better, if Ukraine can make somehow it in present tense) guilty of some kind of fraud, corruption of just anything;
2) It's Ukraine, and not Putin's Russia (as every sensible people in the planet Earth and all US intelligence know for long) was behind all interference in 2016 US election.
At the same time, Ukraine also must keep in mind that Trump is a passing phase in US politics. More importantly, their country, Ukraine, needs a transparent and credible Govt that its own citizens can trust. And this episode is now beyond either Ukraine or Trump's control. So they better be careful of how they get involved in it.
5
This story was fine until suddenly "Mr. Zelensky has faced criticism at home for telling the American president that the nakedly political criminal investigations would be looked into..."
Corruption was and remains a big problem in Ukraine - investigating large payments for seemingly no work doesn't seem " nakedly political".
4
Meanwhile, China, we could really use something on that troublesome Elizabeth Warren.
Thanks.
Then we can talk about tariffs.
4
Fact: the Eastern Europeans (plus the Middle Easterners) love Trump. Just sayin. I know this as I have family that are living there and they think somehow Trump is going to "save" them. Very weird. I was also in a Muslim country recently and even a very smart, intellectual I met thinks Trump has a "good heart." It's so, so, so bizarre -- it's a fantasy -- a story they have been told. Ukraine is no different -- they think Trump is their great savior. I'd like to attribute it to ignorance but even the educated people in these countries support him. I don't get it but, it's one of the things that has enabled him to be in the White House.
5
And there it is. The "quo" for the quid. Coincidence that the State Department (Trump's boy Mike) approved the sale of the javelins yesterday and, lo and behold, an investigation materializes? I think not. Stay tuned for the announcement of the WH visit. Hopefully the Ukrainians will take to the streets, as Americans should. And hopefully the House will deliver a message to Zelensky that engaging in corrupt behavior with Trump -- sinking to his Slitherin level -- in the name of rooting out and addressing corruption will not get him what he seeks. Just when you thought they couldn't possible go lower, when you could not even imagine how much worse it would get, this is revealed. Hopefully there are many more honorable people in the State Department, IRS and elsewhere who, like Dean and Butterfield, put country over absolutely reprehensible party and self-interest.
9
At least the corruption is out in the open, so no one can be fooled by it.
I just wish Trump could be taken into custody, before he does any further damage.
4
The investigation of Burisma, as well as 14 other new cases, is NOT the investigation of Joe Biden that Mr. Trump was demanding. The ridiculous accusation against Mr. Biden was that he intervened on behalf of the company by urging the firing of a prosecutor who had refused even to open a case against Burisma. Crazy conspiracy theories have so polluted public discourse that any possible decision by a sovereign country is seen as somehow driven by the paranoia of the U.S. president and his minions.
4
All nations, whether adversary or ally, should be warned that there will be retaliation against them if they interfere with the 2020 Presidential election.
Adversaries such as Russia and China, or ally's such as Israel, Ukraine, or, Australia should be forewarned that such retaliation will be swift and certain.
The American people will not tolerate foreign interference with our election.
From the time of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, hundreds of thousands of American soldiers have given, in the immortal words of President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, "...the last full measure of devotion..." to establish, to preserve, and to maintain American democracy. At the heart of that is the right of the American people to choose their government in a free election.
1
@ James Jones
Respectfully, there never has been a monolithic ‘American people’ that either vote or act in a bloc. At best we now have @ of our voting population that, as the Donald famously pointed out, will not care if he shot someone on 5th Avenue.
Democrats have to face the fact that the Republicans are plainly better at whatever this game is.
Interesting move by the Ukranians. Time will tell whether or not it will be a good or bad decision.
One thing is certain though: Regardless of what they find or fail to find, Trump will not let this drop. And the fact that the Biden family is just as corrupt as the Trumps are, with adult children capitalizing on the wealth and connections of a powerful father, will be at the center of the upcoming primaries.
Joe Biden would be doing the country a great favor if he did the honorable thing and dropped out of the primary race now. Why give Trump one more "they're all corrupt" -- i.e., just like me -- talking point?
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@avrds
The Hunter Biden investigation was dropped by Shokin long before Joe Biden and others, as part of an international coalition, called for Shokin's dismissal. This obsession with Biden is another false equivalence deflecting from Trump's clear criminality.
2
@avrds
I guess Warren should "do the country a favor" by dropping out as well, since Trump wants China to investigate her.
@Roberta
I seriously doubt that there is any there there when it comes to outright corruption in Ukraine (i.e., money laundering or other questionable behavior ala Trump) by the Bidens.
What I do see, however, is a political culture that looks the other way when the children of people in power capitalize on their parents' positions, particularly in these over-the-top lucrative international situations where it _appears_ that access and favorable treatment is the goal.
For some reason, those on the left (myself included) rightfully cry foul when it's the Trump children, but fail to even acknowledge questionable behavior when it comes to Biden's son. That they all do it, as even Michael Moore has said, is hardly an excuse. And it will come back to haunt the Democrats once again.
1
When do we get to the point where we accept the fact that Trump wasn't just using his office to seek foreign aid for himself? Trump was withholding funds allocated by Congress in an attempt to pressure Ukraine into fabricating evidence against an opponent.
As I see it the only difference between the Republicans investigation of Benghazi and Trump's quest to get Hunter Biden onto television and talk radio is that our F.B.I. requires a scintilla of evidence to launch an investigation.
Now we see the investigation requirements in Ukraine are not as stringent as here. It's really all he needs, he and his attack dogs can now repeat over and over that "The Biden family are being investigated for corruption."
The game becomes who can shout the loudest. The Republicans and the conservative echo chamber or Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff.
Now does the offence against the Constitution goes to the backburner as the shouting match begin? Can Republicans both delay impeachment and do their finger pointing long enough? The point is they have succeeded in cheapening democracy even further, they will lower participation. And the message "Don't trust government" another win for Republicans.
3
One can appreciate the bind Ukraine finds themselves in: beleaguered by a hostile foe with whom they are at war while the ally they depend on plays silly political games, withholding aid until Ukraine agrees to hold kangaroo court regarding Burisma and the Bidens.
It is a fraught and lorn situation. How could Ukraine do anything different? They're fighting for their survival! Nevertheless, the outcome of any 'review' done with a gun held to their head is suspect, and blatantly, obviously a farce.
6
This is quite rich. Ukraine is bowing to public and private pressure from the president of the United States, but there was no such pressure involved in the sitting vice president's son getting on this poor nation's gravy train. And don't say anything. Interference in our democracy. You know.
All the dominoes are now in place. The Ukrainians are being careful, and may have just killed two birds with one stone - given Trump what he wanted, and also confirmed the whistleblower’s account. Note that the State Dept approved the sale of the Javelin missiles yesterday. Coincidence? Probably not.
4
Still not clear to me.
Is the Ukrainian prosecutor reviewing THE CASES?
Or is he reviewing THE WAY THE CASES WERE CONDUCTED, I.e., auditing the prosecution itself?
Or, thirdly, is that ambiguity purposeful?
2
The conspiracy grows. Of course, Mr. Ryaboshapka didn't need a call from Trump or Rudy when his President Volodymyr Zelensky already told Trump in their now public conversation that:
"Since we have won the absolute majority in our Parliament, the next prosecutor general will be 100% my person, my candidate, who will be approved by the parliament and will start as a new prosecutor in September. He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue."
It's 2016 "deja vu all over again" with James Comey and Hillary Clinton's emails, but this time the truth is out in the open and the stench of political corruption reaches all the way from Kiev to the swamp headquartered in The Oval Office. This will only hurt Ukraine and help Vladimir Putin as most will view this as just more Ukrainian corruption. President Zelensky was warned by U.S. diplomats not to do this as it would be crossing the line into political interference in a U.S. election. Apparently, he foolishly didn't listen.
3
Certainly opening any inquiry in the Ukraine is exactly the quid pro quo Trump asked for. How is it anything else when that was the "favor" he requested?
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Headline's a tad misleading though, isn't it? 15 cases, including one related to the owner of the firm that employed Biden Jr., seems a bit more accurate.
3
This is a national sovereignty issue. If our public office holders, former office holders, diplomats and their families do something wrong, we prosecute them. We simply cannot tolerate their prosecution by another country. The jailing of a US official or former official by a foreign country is an act of war against the US. Trump not only says he’ll tolerate it, he is actively encouraging (and likely coercing) the investigation and prosecution of a former American Vice President by China and the Ukraine. This is deeply, profoundly unpatriotic. I truly believe the. American people will reject it.
9
"The jailing of a US official or former official by a foreign country is an act of war against the US."
Nonsense. It's the act of a sovereign nation.
Some Americans have a truly bizarre level of exceptionalism burned into the very core of their beings.
1
We can not tolerate other countries arresting and prosecuting our officials and former officials, especially for what they did in office. Other countries feel the same way. And there is a great deal of formal and informal comity. Think about it.
If Biden committed a crime, USA should investigate and prosecute under our system. It is profoundly unpatriotic and frightening to tolerate, let alone encourage, another country to do prosecute a former US VP under their system. Much as I dislike Trump and as suspicious as I am about what he and his family have been up to around the world,I would consider it an act of war if he were prosecuted in another country, let alone China.
It definitely was improper for Biden to fly his son along on a vice-presidential diplomatic mission to Ukraine for his son to discuss personal business dealings in Ukraine. Whether or not Biden junior profited from being along on the V.P. mission is not the issue. It appears inappropriate and was therefore bad judgment on Joe Biden's part to have his son accompany him. So now this foolish misstep will hurt Biden's campaign for the presidency. All actions however seemingly innocuous, have consequences.
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@RLW All actions have consequences except Trump's actions and those of his family. They will continue to act with impunity. That is the will of the American people. The Trumps are infallible.
GOP is moving the goal post here just like they did with the Muller investigation. You don't need to prove quid-pro-quo to have an impeachable event. Just like you didn't have to prove "collusion" in order to make Tump impeachable. They have effectively taken the narrative to mean that as long as they just deny quid-pro-quo then Trump didn't do anything wrong. Every democrat should begin every presidential conference with saying: "we don't need quid-pro-quo to impeach the president". Indeed let that be every third sentence you say. Do not allow the GOP to highjack the narrative again.
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@Ivan This latest investigation, led by lying schiff, has the same lack of merit as the previous failed one.
@Katie
Considering the number of criminals sitting in jail as a result of that investigation I wonder what it would take for you to state that an investigation has "merit" and wasn't "failed".
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@UBloMe
None of what you say has any connection to facts and reality. There never was an investigation of Bidens son. It was a potential investigation of the company where his son was on the board. The person that the IMF and EU and US (Biden was part of implementing a US policy, not his own) wanted fired had failed to investigate corruption of the owner of that company and many other corrupt oligarchs. So when EU, IMF and US (including Biden) pushed to get rid of this corrupt "investigator" - he made it more likely that the company (his son was on the board of) would get in trouble.
Trump committed a crime by asking a foreign government to give him something - that is the CRIME. Whether he withheld, or threatened to withhold something in return does not make his crime any less of a crime
3
He's "bowing to pressure" if he finds corruption.
He's righteous and upholding truth if he doesn't.
It doesn't matter what the actual truth may be, it only matters what side he's on. Right?
4
Ukraine isn't noted for political transparency and ethics - same as our Current Occupant's administration. And our own Secy of State has done his best to follow the lead of our Administration by shredding diplomacy.
The Current Occupant wanted to "drain the swamp", so let's oblige him and rid our country of "the swamp" by impeaching him.
7
@UBloMe
It was the US, other western powers and the IMF who wanted the prosecutor fired because he was NOT doing his job: i.e. he was NOT investigating and prosecuting.
Biden's error was in telling it as if he and he alone was the tough guy who was withholding the money, when in fact he was merely the point man.
All of this reporting skirts a central issue: what was Biden’s son doing on the board. Is there an issue here, where favors are being given by Ukraine to ameliorate themselves to the US. I understand that doesn’t represent a breach of the Constitution but doesn’t it illustrate some level of corruption. The total lack of coverage of this issue by the press on the left is infuriating (said as a liberal).
4
Irrelevant, actually. Biden was tasked with removing a prosecutor who was not prosecuting nor investigating corruption, not impeding one who was. Trump was attempting to convince a head of a foreign country to prioritize engaging in an investigation which would focus upon a rivals’ son working for a business suspected of corruption.
@Marko This was already investigated, and neither Hunter Biden or his father, Vice President Biden, were guilty of any wrong doing. This is merely a ploy by Trump to get dirt on his political opponent. If Biden is not nominated, whomever is will be next.
This clarifies the issue of whether Trump conspired with Russia to interfere with our election in 2016 -- he did!
Trump's continued collusion with other countries to involve themselves in our elections must stop. Impeach!
It's wrong for Trump to encourage other governments to investigate American politicians. It is also morally wrong for family members of Biden to use Biden's election to office as a license to line their pockets with money. Biden's family has been doing this type of thing for many years, and they are certainly not the only political family to do this.
I would never vote for Trump or Biden for President.
4
@Bruce Biden's family, and every other politician who has ever held office and left office. Is it fair? Not really. Good? Probably not. But its perfectly legal and if Biden didn't do anything to help the son, i.e., a quid pro quo, it doesn't matter.
On the other hand, foreign governments have developed a habit of staying at Trump hotels, which are tacky garbage. And yet, we've kind of just accepted this. Rules apply to democrats only.
1
@Bruce
The Hunter Biden investigation was dropped by Shokin long before Joe Biden and others, as part of an international coalition, called for Shokin's dismissal. This obsession with Biden is another false equivalence deflecting from Trump's clear criminality. Based on comments such as yours, Americans are falling for it all over again.
2
Hunter Biden's Ukraine activities should be an example to all politicians and their families on the importance of appearances.
I have no idea what Hunter did to earn $50,000 a month, but to the average person that is a lot of money and Hunter must be pretty special to earn that.
As a cynic, I could imagine that Hunter's employer was hoping for access to a powerful USA political ally. The Bidens should know this and should know how it looks. Apart from a prominent father, does Hunter have any other attractions to Burisma?
But even if Hunter's business dealings were of dubious merit, the fact remains that Trump withheld foreign aid sanctioned by Congress to get a foreign power to investigate a political rival. That stinks.
299
@MrC $500,000 a year is not a lot of money for the political class. That barely covers yacht maintenance. $5 million? Now that might raise some eyebrows. It’s important to put this into perspective..
37
Perhaps we can also look at what Ivanka is making each month from her Chinese patents?
172
"... the fact remains that Trump withheld foreign aid sanctioned by Congress ..."
Not according to the article, which says:
"The sale of the javelins to Ukraine must still go through Congress."
That sounds backwards, since Congress sends bills to the President. The Times needs to clarify that process.
10
Now introducing Donald Trump's 2020 co-campaign managers.....Ukraine, China, Australia and some other foreign countries to be named later !
Impeach
Indict
Incarcerate
Individual #1....(and most of his treasonous staff)
And remember the unAmerican behavior of the Grand Old Patriot party on November 3 2020.
The Blue Wave is coming.
103
Ukraine is trying to normalize Trump's requests to President Z. - by including the review of this investigation as part of a broader review of corruption. The matter has already been reviewed and re-reviewed - there are no bases to investigate either Biden. It is a continuance of Trump's appeasement.
6
@Link = Appeasement is the policy adopted by leaders worldwide towards Trump. Appeasement works until it doesn't. See: Chamberlain and the Munich Pact.
1
As far as Trump’s impeachment proceedings, this should not change anything. Whether the Bidens are or aren’t guilty of anything, Trump should not have based aid on Ukraine’s specific actions against his political rival
But given its timing, it is regrettable to see Ukraine apparently bow to pressure.
Unless it is trying to clear its own judiciary’s reputation.
14
I'm sure the Ukrainians are not happy with their treatment by Trump. They need the US, but they don't need him. Were I in their shoes, I'd do exactly this -- (pretend to) launch the investigation and thereby remove all doubt that Trump has enlisted a foreign government to persecute his rivals. It is obvious to everyone that this would not be happening without Trump's pressure. This only makes the case for impeachment stronger.
48
Sure it was inappropriate for Hunter Biden to be on the board of a Ukrainian company while his father was in office. The difference is that there was no quid pro quo as with Trump. Speaking of which, when will Donald Trump's family members and his family businesses be investigated? Oh I forgot, Republicans have different standards for their fellow members.
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@Louis
Hunter Bidens presence on a board in the Ukraine, while not illegal and not frowned on in elite society, IS a quid pro quo.
It just doesn't involve a pay off for an election.
But it is a quid pro quo.
And I am a Democrat.
28
@EC
"Quid pro quo" requires that something was asked for in return for the favor. What (in specific) did Hunter offer the Ukranians, or what did the Ukranians ask Biden for? If you can't cite anything specific, then there's no quid pro quo.
38
@EC What I tell me GOP friends- ok, lock him up. You win. Next, do you recall why Nixon was impeached? Next, What has Trump has admitted to, or done in the open, that resembles the Nixon impeachment? IN SHORT - stop taking the Biden bait. Allow them to 'win' that argument (your statement has no relevance but it stops the diversion) and move on to what their charge is hiding. When they say 'both sides do it', say, yes, and both sides need to be prosecuted. I am also a Dem.
34
This can go either really well for Trump or really badly. My guess is that the Ukrainians are going to "review" it while they observe the which way things are going in the US, then get on board with the winner. The fact that they made a big deal out of this not being political tells me it is highly political.
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@Bruce M
I see this a bit differently. The very fact that there is an investigation of the Bidens "in progress" gives trump what he wants....a Biden primary defeat...or... the "he's dirty" talking point during the General Election.
13
@Allen82
I agree, this feels like a "Crooked Hillary" style setup for Joe Biden. Hillary was exhaustively cleared of wrongdoing in Benghazi and cleared of major wrongdoing in the email scandal, but you'd never guess that from listening to Trump and other Republicans. A lot of people bought into this framing, even many Democrats.
The truth of whether the Bidens did anything wrong is irrelevant for how it will be framed by Trump and the media, because Hunter Biden's actions have a bad smell to them. Never mind that the Trump children have done a lot worse. This is one reason why we need a cleaner candidate with less baggage to win the Democratic nomination.
Trump has admitted that he asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden as a favor to him, has publicly requested that China do the same, and basically announced his intention to keep making such requests. Do any further details really matter at this point? Members of Congress either believe that soliciting foreign aid for a US election is an impeachable offense or they don't.
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@Jay Orchard
Do any further details really matter at this point?
Yes. Illegal things matter. Perhaps more importantly, unethical things matter. This is regardless of tribe.
Joe Biden's son should stick to ethical things. Trump should not be president.
Let's get both of those things accomplished and move on with a slightly better world.
8
@Jay Orchard What if Hunter Biden stood on the street in Ukraine and shot somebody and the Ukrainians covered it up for fear of offending the vice president? Would it be proper for a new president to ask them to investigate or would that be interfering in our election too?
1
@Edwin Of course Ukraine should investigate shootings and other crimes that happen in Ukraine. My problem is that this particular investigation is not happening in the normal course of running Ukraine. It is driven by President Trump, to benefit him personally. And there is increasing evidence, including the description of the call that was released by the White House, and the recent text messages, that several things Ukraine wanted or now wants have been conditioned on the investigation, e.g., a call between Ukraine's president and President Trump, the presence of POTUS or even VPOTUS at the Ukrainian president's inauguration, military aid money allocated by Congress, and permission to purchase Javelin missiles. Ukraine's responsibility to investigate crime in Ukraine does not mean President Trump hasn't been leveraging that responsibility for his own personal benefit, and using the power of the US presidency to do that. Seems to me he has been. In my view, that is seriously not OK.
8
The real question now is wether the president of Ukraine is playing the short or long game? I find it hard to believe that he is not thinking about the long term implications of this. There exits two possible futures for us. One where Trump wins another term in 2020, and one just as likely where the Democrats take the Oval Office. Smearing the potential next president of the US could mean a lot of trouble for his country. So is he doing this with the intention of actually pursuing the Bidens, or to relieve pressure from the White House?
Either way, he has made his play in this perilous game.
117
@Rafael APN: Maybe he's just trying to find out if anyone was engaged in illegal activities.
Since Ukraine gets its natural gas from Russia, there will likely be a Russian component to this investigation as well.
From Standard Oil to Enron, energy companies have a long history of playing loose with the law.
What Ukraine does should not effect the impeachment proceedings, but it will if they find anything to implicate Hunter Biden.
12
@mlbex, impeachment should not hinge on whether Hunter did something illegal. It should hinge on whether Trump did something illegal, or unethical enough to warrant removal from office. Voters can decide how much of the weight of Hunter's wrongdoings should be placed on Joe's shoulders.
22
@Rafael APN
The Ukranian president now has to start an investigation into the 2016 Election because for Russia to be relieved from Sanctions, someone else must take the fall. The Ukrainians will admit that they, not the Russians, meddled in the 2016 Election. Russia will be relieved of Sanctions. The "quid pro quo" is that Russia will withdraw from Ukranian territory. trump gets legitimacy.
4
Loving the spin on this. Great reporting. Such exciting times. History is being written.
6
@William Menke:
exciting times indeed, where blackmail
takes place out in the open, instead of behind the scenes.
now we do know where we're at and who we're up against.
up to us to let it go, let it go on, or make it go away.
... if enough of us still CARE enough to save
what, some day, was to become democracy.
2
@William Menke = History is being REwritten in front of the NYT eyes.
Zelenskyy’s boss is Ihor Kolomoisky (who also owns the TV network that ran Zelenskyy’s “Servant of the People”). There is an ongoing FBI investigation of Kolomoisky that involves possible financial crimes here, including money laundering, according to The Daily Beast.
1
The American people can now decide if we like the idea of foreign countries investigating and prosecuting our politicians. Historically the US and every other country on earth has fought against foreign interference in its domestic politics. Trump is actively encouraging it. The American people have a clear choice.
473
@Steve I’d say the Ukrainian government has a responsibility to review all money dealings in its own country. If it happens that an American was caught up in a scheme of pay to play, so be it.
5
@Steve if our politicians are engaging in corruption and abusing their office via selling their influence, then shouldn't we want to know it? I mean, that would mean that they are breaking our laws as well. My view regardless of party is that if a crime was committed in the previous administration, that the current administration can investigate it. I guess I must be strange or an outlier because apparently half the country thinks that former vice president's actions are immune from investigation.
4
@Steve Before the American voter has a chance to “judge” we have our elected officials to do that and I, for one, hope that the Senate grows a conscience and a backbone against this clearly corrupt President and all his minions and votes to remove this slime from our democracy.
12
"It raised questions about whether Ukraine was, in effect, bowing to public and private pressure from the president of the United States, on which it has depended on for millions of dollars in aid."
The question raised in my mind is that if Ukraine is dependent upon millions of dollars in aid from the U.S., just how authentic, true and reliable will the findings in their investigations be?
The timing of this investigation cannot be but suspect. Why would the results be any less?
520
@Marge Keller
The entire concept of a foreign government being dependent upon American money is suspect. The USA does not make friends---it buys them.
Turn the entire story on its head. We have a President Biden. The GOP solicits Ukraine to investigate him. The Ukrainian government knows their aid (survival?) depends on President Biden's signature. What do you think the results of the "investigation" would be?
This entire thing smells worse than rotting fish.
4
@Marge Keller
Ukraine is also dependent on the EU and IMF who also give support and billions in aid. Ukraine has to prove it can conduct rigorous, transparent investigations without fear or favor to keep receiving that support and aid.
Given Ukraine's exceedingly painful history and this admin using it as a pawn for its own self-serving ends I doubt it is going to risk its well-being and future by putting all its eggs in the US basket.
My bet is that the investigation will be conducted with integrity and mandated transparency. But few seem to care about that, propaganda is the winner these days c.f. Mueller investigation.
1
@wills11111
So Obama involved a foreign government in investigating a political rival? When did that happen again?
Right.
2
Does anyone doubt that they're going to find something? Does anyone believe that, even before this became public, there was any other possible outcome given the pressure the Ukraine is under? Trump wasn't asking them to investigate; he was asking them to make sure something was found. So now, when the "investigation" is concluded, he can say, "see? I knew there was something there."
There is no procedural solution to this kind of behavior; only civil war or despotism or both. America is done. Start making an exit plan.
258
@dan I mean, the whole thing looks fishy. If nothing else, it was a conflict of interest for Biden to be the point man on Ukraine while his son got a position on the board of the largest natural gas company in Ukraine. It was absolutely unwise for Biden to allow this situation, and I don't know why Obama condoned it. The Ukranians were absolutely hoping to buy influence with the Obama administration by giving Hunter a job for which he wasn't qualified. The same is true of the Chinese when Hunter walked away with a $1.5 billion dollar investment after flying on Air Force 2 to China with his dad. Now how much influence was bought is an open question and we may never know the answer. But at the least, it shows a pattern of unwise judgement on the part of Joe Biden (and no, no one is saying that Trump is wise). At the worst, it shows that Joe was using his office to intentionally enrich his son. I believe that politicians should avoid even the appearance of impropriety in order to maintain public trust in their governance. But I might be a little old fashioned. I also don't believe that asking if someone broke the law is an impeachable offense, in part because I want to know the answer to the question of whether a law was broken. But I would feel the same way regardless of which party was in office.
14
@dan Of course they won't find anything. Just another push by the democrats to find something to impeach for, even if Shifty schiff has to lie and make things up.
1
@ES79 Trump didn't just "ask" if Hunter Biden broke the law! He clearly was trying to dig up dirt on his opponent through a foreign government by threatening to withhold money--are we really comfortable with a foreign government influencing our elections?! It's treasonous really; Trump will sell out our country to Ukraine, Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia--whoever is willing to do what he wants. The fact that anyone looks at this situation and immediately questions Biden's actions more than Trump's is preposterous.
45